Through The Hoop
by YuviForever
Summary: Nanase Miho was forced by her father to leave Teiko Middle School during the beginning of her third year. A year later, she comes back and reunites with the Generations of Miracles and becomes the new manager of the Seirin basketball team. She is determined to bring the team to victory along with her new and dear teammates and family. MidorimaxOC, Slight MidorimaxOCxAomine.
1. 回来了－Back

**Through the Hoop**

**Chapter 1：__****回来了－Back**

_ "Ahaha...you're kidding me, right," a boy with golden blonde hair laughed sheepishly as he observed the scene before him._

_ "Hmm, it seems that I'm not the only one seeing things here. Kise, am I hallucinating?" Aomine Daiki not-so-gently pinched his teammate's arm which caused the later to whine and slap Teiko's basketball ace's hand away from him. _

_ A small boy, with light blue hair and about the same age as the two arguing, hushed his fellow eavesdroppers, "Aomine-kun, Kise-kun, if we don't quiet down, they'll hear us."_

_ "Ahh, I'm going to leave Mido-chin and Nana-chin alone. All this tension is making me starve," Murasakibara Atsushi snickered before walking away. The remaining three continued to bicker about their disbelief._

_ "Of all of us...Mihocchi chose Midorimacchi! I think I'm going to cry!" Kise whined and hugged the light blue haired boy._

_ Aomine sighed, "What does she see in such a stoic, gloomy, and eccentric guy? Honestly, that girl."_

_ While the basketball 'Generation of Miracles' were talking, Nanase Miho, now the number one shooter of the Generation of Miracle's girlfriend, asked Midorima a simple question, "Shin-chan, why did you choose today to ask me?"_

_ The green haired boy pushed up his glasses, "Because my horoscope said that today was a great day for Cancers to confess."_

_ With that, Miho let out a light giggle while the three eavesdroppers facepalmed. _

* * *

I was Kise's childhood friend. I've probably known him longer than anyone has. However, never in my life have I seen him in such a state.

My feet had carried me as fast as they could to the court of the Interhigh Quarterfinals for the high school basketball competition. My lack of a sense of direction honestly didn't help me get there any faster. When I finally got to the court, the game had ended 98-110 with Kaijo's defeat.

I knew Kise attended Kaijo and Aomine attended Touou from the texts that Midorima and Kise had sent me. Thus, on my first day—no hour back from the States, I rushed to the game between my former schoolmates.

"Ryo-chan..." I muttered softly before collapsing on the railing of the observation seats.

I knew that he wanted to win the match more than anything else. Back in Teiko, Kise often challenged Aomine to one-on-one matches, which always ended in Kise's defeat. After all the generations of miracles graduated, they all were scouted by different high schools and left each other. However, that just makes the high school competitions that much more interesting. Kise had stated that he wanted to win this match against Touou, no matter what.

Slowly, I crept down the stands and looked around before giving up and deciding to ask for directions. With my sense of direction, there was no way I could find the boys change rooms.

"Excuse me," I bumped into a girl with short brown hair and a high school uniform, "may I ask where the boy players change rooms are?"

"Hmm? Oh, they are that way," she pointed to a hallway and I quickly bowed to thank her before running off. I didn't notice the curious blue eyes trailing after me.

Oh. My. God. This was actually getting ridiculous. I don't necessarily think that girl led me the wrong way, but...where the _hell_ am I! The corridor was dark and scary and I was absolutely freaked that something would jump out...any moment now...

"M-Mihocchi?" a voice inquired.

I shrieked and ducked behind the nearest item, which just so happened to be a stray basketball in the hallway, "N-no! Don't hurt me, please!"

"It _is_ Mihocchi!" the thing's hands yanked the ball away from my hands and I was left gaping in absolute terror at the thing...person...Kise?

He was taller for sure—I am only at his shoulders. However, it was the same golden brown orbs that my dark blue ones were staring into and the same smile that I had seen a million times. It was Ryo-chan.

Tears welted up in my eyes after seeing him after a long time, "Ryo-chan!"

My arms wrapped around his neck as I jumped up to hug him tightly. His arms also wrapped tightly around my back.

"H-hey...Mihocchi, I'm still sweaty and I bet I smell horrible..." Kise mumbled in my dark blue hair.

Right, he had that match before him—_the _match. He must be feeling horrible and here I was, clinging to him and forcing him to laugh. I'm such an idiot.

Immediately, I released the golden haired boy and he put on a sad look.

"Ryo-chan...I'm so sorry..." I bit my lip as I pulled him towards me with my arms, "You must be devastated and here I was..."

"Mihocchi...I'm fine, really," he gave me a bright smile.

"Y-you idiot. You can cry with me here," I pulled his head into my chest and before I knew it, I could fell his sobs as he clutched the fabric of my jacket.

"I-I wanted to beat him! Just—just once..." he mumbled as I felt his tears seeping through the fabric of my dress. It didn't matter that his face was pressed up against my boobs. Ryota was like a brother that I never had. Sure I didn't love him the way I loved Midorima, but I loved him nonetheless.

* * *

"Eh? You're going to Seirin?" Kise asked as we were leaving the tournament grounds. Kise's team had already left and Kise had just gone back to grab a few things that he left behind when he met me.

"Yup, it's the closest to my house. It was either Seirin for closeness or Rakuzan for their good academics. I wanted to at least have _some_ freedom, so I chose Seirin," I explained.

"Ah right, papa Nanase is very strict on academics," Kise thought aloud.

"Yeah..." I laughed. My father was very stringent when it came to grades and ranks. He has always wanted me to achieve a full mark on every single subject and obtain first place in every single subject. He didn't care at all about what I did as long as I fulfilled those requirements.

I left Teiko Junior High in my second year because of this. During the middle of my first year, I had become good friends with Momoi Satsuki, the manager of the Teiko Basketball team. She was very good at managing data and analyzing opponents. However, so was I. In some occasions we would switch during a game and I would take her job when she was busy.

This led to my drop in grades, however. When my father found out during my second year at Teiko, he had me immediately transferred to an American school during my third year. I had to bid farewell to all my friends. After a year, he finally decided that I was _disciplined_ enough to come back to live with him in Japan. I despised my father—no I _hated_ him.

"Kurokocchi goes to Seirin as well, you know," Kise stated.

I turned to him in surprise, "Te-chan?"

"Yeah. If Mihocchi is going to join the basketball team as their manager, you'll definitely see him. He's so cool now! He's improved a lot!" Kise grinned happily.

I smiled. Yes, I was planning to join the Seirin basketball team as their manager. Sure it was going to be hard achieving high grades and managing the basketball team. However, basketball was my passion and there was no way I was going to lose it again to the wrath of my father.

"Are you going to start school tomorrow?" Kise inquired again.

"Yep! I'm going to head down to the gym office and submit my club request forms now," I grinned.

Kise laughed sheepishly before a worried look spread across his face, "Mihocchi...will you be able to get there safely...?"

Knowing the answer to that question already, I could only give a light laugh before Kise shook his head in disbelief.

"Your sense of direction hasn't improved at all, Miss. I-get-lost-in-my-second-year-of-my-own-school," Kise grumbled earning another nervous laugh from me.

* * *

"So you would like to submit this to the basketball club, am I right?" the secretary at Seirin smiled sweetly at me in which I gave a nod. I'm sure it's not me that she's trying to be kind to and trying to impress, however. It was definitely the golden haired man standing beside me. Women these days, figures.

"Ah, now that that's over with! Let's go to Midorimacchi's school!" Kise smiled happily at me.

"Shin-chan? He goes to Shutoku, right?" I questioned.

"Yup! I'm sure you want to see him after one year of being apart!" Kise messed up my long blue hair while smiling his bright smile.

I inwardly thanked god for giving me such a great friend as I smiled back and followed Ryota to Shutoku High School.

* * *

"They are still practicing basketball..." I muttered as I peeked through the gap of the gymnasium. All highschools had a day off today and yet it seems that Shutoku's basketball team was still practicing.

"Midorimacchi's dedicated, huh," Kise whispered in which I nodded.

"You ready for your grand reunion?" my childhood friend teased in which I elbowed him slightly and pushed open the door.

Other than my boyfriend himself, everyone else turned to look at us.

"Isn't that Kise Ryota?!"

"No way! The model and a former member of the Generation of Miracles?"

"Why is he here? Is that hot girl beside him his girlfriend?"

I ignored the rumors and watched as Midorima shot his ball into the basket with a serious expression on his face.

My fists clenched. Sure we have texted each other everyday since I left. Even though they were simple texts, they were still meaningful and I looked forward to his announcement of my lucky item each day. However, seeing him here in the flesh was a different feeling completely.

Unable to hold it in anymore, I ran towards the green haired shooter, "Shin-chan!"

He was surprised to receive my sudden pounce of an embrace. I could hear the whispers going on in the gym and Kise snickering. However, I held tight to Midorima's neck and buried my face into his hair.

"M-Miho?" he gasped aloud as his arms soon slowly embraced me back.

"Shin-chan! I missed you so much!" I let my tears flow out as I pulled back and saw my favorite green haired tsundere in front of me.

"Ahh, here it comes! Everyone look up!" In my peripheral vision, I saw Kise smirk and point up towards the ceiling. Everyone seemed confused but did as he said when my lips met Shintaro's eagerly.

It was a chaste kiss of course. Nothing too deep—Shintaro would never allow that when we were alone much less with an audience. When we released each other, I saw a black haired man with a hue of red painted on his face as he whistled nonchalantly.

"Takao, you peeked, didn't you," Midorima glared with his green eyes at the peeking man.

"With my hawk's eyes, it's impossible to hide from it!" he retaliated against Midorima.

"You could always _close your eyes_. Baka!" Midorima glared and stormed out of the gym but not after I saw the hue of red on his cheeks.

Geez, that guy. Way to ditch me after kissing me.

I was about to follow him when a group of the basketball players in the gym that witnessed the scene surrounded me.

"Wah! What is such a cute and pretty girl like you doing with that sulky and boring Midorima!"

"You are really dating Midorima?"

"Didn't you know? He has three selfish requests a day! And he carries a lucky item around where ever he goes! He's so strange!"

"Ah, alright, alright," the man that Shintaro called Takao sorted all the guys out and the coach resumed the practice, "geez, that was tough. You're Shin-chan's girlfriend?"

I looked at him, "You must be very close to him to call him that," I stated.

"Ah," Takao scratched his head, "Not at all. He hates it when I call him that."

"I see. Anyways, yes I'm Shin-chan's girlfriend. Nanase Miho, nice to meet you!" I gave a small smile and gave a bow to Takao.

"Wahh, Mihocchi's being so proper!" Kise joined the conversation.

"I didn't think Shin-chan could get such an amazing girlfriend! Hey, honestly, what do you like about that guy?" Takao asked.

I put my hand on my chin and thought for a while, "Hmm...if I had to put it all in one word, I would say, everything. To be perfectly honest, I have no clue why I like him. He's so cute in so many ways. I love all his flaws and all his strengths."

I gave Takao a small smile. It was true. Even though he was mean to me sometimes, refused to hold my hand or kiss me, I still love absolutely everything about him.

Takao seemed surprised at the answer while Kise chuckled, "It's okay. We all asked her the same question and she's answered with the same answer every time we asked."

Takao nodded for a moment before raising an eyebrow, "Wait...what do you mean by _we_ and who exactly _is_ she? Why haven't I ever seen her until now?"

Kise sighed and told him the whole story about my life in Teiko and my sudden leave for the States. He left out the part about my father, however.

"Stop telling Takao everything! Coach! As one of my selfish requests for today, allow me to leave practice early." Midorima called out. The black haired coach let out a long sigh before allowing my green haired boyfriend to do as he pleases.

"Che, alright let's go, Miho. Takao, take my bag home and Kise, don't follow us," Midorima warned the golden haired man when he was about to leave with us.

With that, Shintaro sped out of the doors of the gymnasium with me hurrying after him.

"I'm very sorry for the inconvenience!" I bowed before I ran after that dumb tsundere.

"Shin-chan! Slow down!" I grumbled as I ran after the green haired boy.

He slowed down his pace a little and turned back to me, "What were you thinking barging in like that? Now the talk about how I have a girlfriend is never going to end."

I looked down silently, "...Shin-chan doesn't want your teammates to know you have me as your girlfriend? I know I'm nothing praiseworthy but-"

"T-that's not the problem. Y-you're never the problem..." he muttered the last bit so quietly that I barely heard what he said. He turned his face away from me to hide his flush and I turned around with a blush of my own. He's so sweet and cute sometimes. I am way too obsessed with this guy.

Turning around again, I blushed and held my hand out, "S-Shin-chan, hand?"

He reluctantly pressed his hand against mine. It was his carefully bandaged up left hand. Smiling, I intertwined our fingers and my fingertips caressed his soft hand.

"H-hey! Stop that!" He squeezed my hand softly, but I kept up the caresses. His face turned beet red as he turned around.

I smiled happily, "Shin-chan, I missed you so much."

After a moment of silence, he turned around and gave me one of his rare gentle smiles, "I've missed you too."

* * *

A/N: Disclaimer - I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or any of the characters.

Alright! Yay I'm done the first chapter. I really hope that I didn't make Shin-chan too OOC. Anyways, I've wanted to write this for a while already. I really honestly love Shin-chan. He's probably tied with Dai-chan, but I feel that Nanase Miho would get better along with Shin-chan. Anyways, I really hope you guys enjoy the story. And please, please, please review. They help me a lot with the story. Feel free to give me spelling and grammar mistakes and also suggestions for what you want to happen in the next few chapters. I'll mainly be following the manga storyline with the competitions but that doesn't mean I can't add a couple of dates here and there. ;D

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Please review, I would appreciate it so much! Thank you all very much!

~Yuvi


	2. 誠凛高校 － Seirin High

**Through the Hoop**

**Chapter 2：__****誠凛高校 － Seirin High**

"Nanase Miho, huh. No matter how I look at you, you are that super polite girl that got lost in the hallways on the day of the quarterfinals of Interhigh!" Aida Riko, Seirin's basketball team's coach scrunched her eyes up as she observed my body. She twitched when she saw my breasts.

To be perfectly honest, my boobs weren't that big. They were probably an average size. However, compared to Aida Riko's...yeah they were pretty big. I was almost scared that she would stare a hole into me before she finally relaxed and gave me a smile, "Accepted. I don't know what you can do, however anyone that's interested in the basketball team can join. I'm sure you'll be great moral support for the boys too."

My eyes widened, "Really? Thank you so much Ri-chan!"

I laughed happily as I gave the female coach a hug.

"R-Ri-chan? How cute...No one's ever given me such a cute nickname before," Riko smiled as I released her.

I grinned back, "Nanase Miho, you can just call me Miho. I'm really pleased to work with you! Take good care of me!" I gave a bow and smiled brightly at Riko.

"Yeah! We'll have to introduce you to the boys once they arrive! They'll be delighted!" Riko patted me on the back and we both laughed.

Soon the said boys entered one by one and they all gaped at me.

"Woaah! Who in the heavens is she?" a tall guy with red hair asked.

"She's cute," another with black hair turned away and blushed.

When everyone's gathered, Riko clapped her hands and gathered everyone around.

"Where's Kuroko and Hyuga?" Riko asked.

Right, Kise told me yesterday that Kuroko was in the Seirin basketball club. Knowing him he's probably...

"I'm right here," Kuroko raised his hand and stated blankly which made everyone sweat drop and jump.

Me, on the other hand was totally excited. I ran towards the boy and crushed him into a hug, "Te-chan!"

"Eh..._T-Te-chan?"_ everyone in the gymnasium exclaimed together.

"Miho-chan. Long time no see," Kuroko smiled at me after I released him.

"What? You two are on first name basis? What's going on here, Kuroko?" Riko exclaimed.

"Who _is_ she in the first place?" everyone else exclaimed.

Just then, another boy entered the gym. He had short hair and wore glasses.

"Ah, Hyuga. Just in time. Let's introduce another one of Kuroko's girlfriends," Riko said sarcastically.

"Ah, but I'm no-"

"Kuroko, even if it's you...having more than one girlfriend is absolutely horrid and absurd!" the man named Hyuga came over to Kuroko with a death aura.

"Ah, it's really not like that! Te-chan isn't my boyfriend!" I shouted.

Everyone turned to me, "Eh?"

Riko sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Introduce yourself, Miho."

I nodded and looked at everyone, "I'm Nanase Miho and I'm going to be the new manager of the Seirin basketball team. I look forward to working with you all!" I finished off with a bow.

"S-so cute..." I heard some of the boys say. Riko had a dark aura around her and was about to whack them when Kuroko blankly spoke up.

"Miho-chan already has a boyfriend."

Everyone stopped, "Eeehh?"

"Who is that lucky bastard?" Hyuga shouted.

"M-Midorima Shintaro..." I whispered out.

"Whaaat?"

I winced at the reaction. This was going to be one _long_ practice.

* * *

After finally getting all the business about me sorted out and all the introductions made, the practice finally started.

"They are really at it, huh," I whispered to Riko as I watched them practice.

"Yeah...Hey can you really tell what each of them are good at just by looking at them?" Riko asked me.

During our introductions, Kuroko had explained to everyone about how I knew him and the other Generation of Miracles. He also told them a little talent of mine when it comes to observation for basketball.

"Haha, well Te-chan was slightly over exaggerating but I can more or less do it. Kagami-kun's the ace of the team with great jumping power and a potential that seems bottomless. He can be compared to with the Generation of Miracles. Hyuga-senpai seems like the best shooter on the team. His shooting abilities probably won't be able to compare to Shin-chan's however, he can be very capable in the most intense part of a match. Do you need anymore analysis, Ri-chan?" I asked her with a calm tone.

She stared at me in disbelief. I knew I wasn't as amazing as Momoi when it came down to the main analyzing players' growths and predicting their movements. However, I have some pride in my habit spotting and what the players excel at.

"Ah! Miho-chan's amazing!" Riko patted me on the back, "With Teppei back and your addition to the team, let's take the Winter Cup Championships!"

I smiled happily at my new team.

Practice went along smoothly until Kuroko reentered the gym with a dog in his arms.

"You brought a doggie here...wait, no!" Kagami shouted as he ran over to the other side of the gymnasium.

"Why?" Kuroko asked innocently.

"Where did you find it?" Izuki asked.

"In the park along our school," Kuroko replied.

Kuroko with the doggie on his head was so cute. I walked over and smile, "I think that doggie likes you, Te-chan!"

"But what are we going to do about the dog?" Kiyoshi sighed.

Kagami immediately exclaimed, "It's not a sin to just ignore it along the road!"

"Tai-chan, don't be so mean to the doggie. We've taken it in already so it's bad to turn it away. Besides, it's so cute and it really likes Te-chan!" after I stated this, the cute puppy jumped over to me and licked my cheek, "See, Tai-chan?"

Kagami had a look of displeasure in the other side of the gym.

"Hey everyone...don't you think that this dog really looks like..." Izuki started.

We all stared at the dog and then back at Kuroko and then back at the dog.

"It's Kuroko! It's eyes!" everyone shouted at the same time.

"Damn, we're getting emotionally attached to it already...!" everyone shouted again.

Koga, at this moment, couldn't resist it anymore and shouted, "Doggie, from today onwards, your name is Tetsuya Number Two!"

"Ahh! Don't give it a name! Now we really can't turn it back on the streets anymore!" Hyuga exclaimed.

"One more thing I noticed..." Kiyoshi muttered while slowly turning his head, "What are you doing there, Kagami?!"

Kiyoshi turned to Kagami who was sitting, shaking in a corner. Kagami turned around with an evil and blank look, "No...well...I...I have a problem with dogs..."

After Kagami's exclamation, everyone called him, a Tiger from his name Taiga, weak and scared of a cute doggie. I also joined in with the teasing of course.

It was funny with Kuroko chasing Kagami around with a dog all day, trying to get the poor boy to accept the addition of the new dog. But...it was so cute! Riko also grew fond of the dog.

As the day passed, the team did exercises with Number Two and everyone, other than Kagami, had a great time. I took notes on the team's physique and gave them to Riko for her to check after the practice.

"These are great, very precise!" Riko smiled at me, "You must have amazing grades with this neat printing. It really is something to be admired!"

I thanked her. However, it wasn't like my grades were impressive or anything. With the right amount of pressure, anyone can achieve the grades that I do.

Practice ended that day and I bid everyone farewell as I trudged home. As I was walking home, I received a text.

_'You didn't tell me you were back. Meet me at the usual in 30 minutes. ~Aomine Daiki'_

My eyes widened at the text. Aomine Daiki. Immediately, I turned on my heels and ran towards the basketball court where I met my first love, Aomine Daiki.

Our story really wasn't all that impressive. We met during my first year at Teiko. Momoi was my first friend and of course she had to introduce me to the basketball team.

It was just like any other love story. Being the girl with high grades and no athletic talent whatsoever, I was the complete opposite of him. He was a star in basketball; however, he often skipped classes and slept on the rooftop. And just like any other love story, the studious girl was paired up with the delinquent on a project.

My whole love experience with Aomine Daiki was like a fairy tale. We were complete opposites, yet we met and fell in love with each other. After the project, I had grown significantly closer to the blue haired boy—close enough to the point where I had a crush on him. It was then when I started substituting with Momoi for the Teiko manager position.

That's right, my entire story started with Aomine Daiki. Like a fairytale, my first kiss was stolen by my prince charming—under the heavy rain, in the shadows, the love of my life at that time, kissed me. However, like any story, that was the premonition of a storm. My life would soon be taken apart and my heart would be torn into two. Then, a new prince—a new light would arrive and the story would end with that.

My two years of middle school at Teiko was like a love story fairytale. It was surreal.

* * *

I arrived at that same basketball court from two years ago. _Of course_ he just _had_ to be in the same position as when I first met him—dozing off on the ground with a basketball in his hand. This was Aomine Daiki.

"Dai-chan, it's rude to be sleeping when waiting for someone," I pouted as I prodded his shoulder with my index finger.

"What do you expect me to do when she's so damn slow?" he snapped his eyes open and sat up.

A wave of nostalgia washed over me from the words that we exchanged. They were the same words from two years ago. I suddenly remembered how much I loved this guy before.

Pushing those feelings aside, I sat down beside the boy and took out my cellphone, "I'm not slow. I'm right on time! See? Thirty minutes exactly after you sent that text!"

"Che, whatever," he grumbled before turning towards me, "What? No 'I missed you hug' like you gave all the other guys?"

"Oh you..." I smiled as I wrapped both of my arms around the larger boy and buried my face into his neck, "I missed you, Dai-chan."

I felt his arms snake around my back and he squeezed me gently. Suddenly I felt like I was falling and before I knew it, I was on top of Aomine and we were hugging each other.

"A-Ah! I'm sorry!" I tried to struggle out of his grasp, however he held on to my waist.

"Are you trying to seduce me first thing after coming back from America? The hell, Midorima's gonna be pissed if he knows this," Aomine smirked as he kept he arms around me.

"Argh, that's why you need to let me go! Please, Dai-chan!" I protested. I felt guilty doing this sort of thing behind Shin-chan's back. I knew he would never do it.

"Damn it, first you don't even call or text me the first day you're back and now this. If I didn't call you out today, you'd probably not even go and see me once...!" I gasped as he pulled me down to his chest.

"That's not true! I was planning on telling you, Atsu-chan, and Sei-chan this weekend...!" I complained and forcefully pulled myself out of his embrace and back onto my feet. I knew my cheeks were red from the imitate position we were in but that didn't stop me from glaring at Aomine as he stood up and dusted himself off.

He stared at my glare for a while before nonchalantly saying, "Do what you fukin' want. I don't give a damn anymore."

With that, he grabbed his bag and the basketball and left the court, leaving me there with the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes.

Kise and Shin-chan both told me that he had changed since I last saw him. However, I didn't think the change would be this big.

I loved Kise as a brother and a friend. I loved Shintaro as a boyfriend and a lover. And yet...somewhere in my heart, I loved Aomine as equally as I loved both of them. He wasn't and couldn't be my boyfriend or brother. Yet I still loved him as something else.

Damn it.

* * *

"Tai-chan decided to keep him?" I asked, seeing Kagami practicing with Number Two the next morning.

"Yeah, I get surprised sometimes, but just let it be," Kagami smiled and then made a shot for the basket.

I clapped my hands, "Yay! But Tai-chan should've made a shot for the basket there," I suggested.

"You're too easy on him, Miho! Geez, Kagami! Look around you when you play!" Riko ordered.

Kagami sweatdropped, "Yes ma'am," he grumbled.

Smiling, I went and picked up Number Two and petted him. He was just so cute! I didn't notice the piercing glare that Kagami was giving me.

"Hey, Miho," Riko walked over with a small jersey, "I brought it."

"Yay! A uniform for our new member!" I cried happily.

After a moment of silence, Kagami twitched his eyebrows, "Turn it back to the park!"

Kuroko made a sad face, "Kagami-kun, a real man never goes back on his word!"

"Who cares!" Kagami replied with an exasperated expression.

I rubbed my temple a bit. Ah dear, this was going to be a _long _practice.

Amidst of everything, I noticed myself smiling and laughing again. I guess it was a right decision to join Seirin. The team was great, and the friendship amongst everyone was undeniable. I loved my new team.

* * *

A/N: Disclaimer - I do not own Kuroko No Basuke or any of its characters.

Aomine-kun...*weeps. Sigh...anyways no Shin-chan in this chapter. I also need to clarify somethings about Aomine and Miho's relationship. Miho _did_ love Aomine in the first year of Middle School. However, they never dated and things basically fell apart after they kissed once. That will be further explained in the later chapters. Also, the _only_ one that Miho loves right now is Shin-chan - as she said so herself. She loves Aomine kind of like the way she loves Kise - as a really, really close friend or brother.

Anyways, there should be a chapter later on about Miho's two years at Teiko and how she fell in love with Shin-chan. This will also explain all the Aomine drama that happened in this chapter. ^_^

Okay enough of my rambling. I promise that there'll be more MihoxMidorima fluff in the next chapter! Also, thank you all so, so much for the faces, follows, and reviews! I love you all so much! Please keep on reviewing and giving me suggestions! I actually appreciate them so much and well it's really great to know that someone's actually reading the stuff that I write! So, thank you so much for those of you that reviewed and read this!

I love you all!

~Yuvi


	3. 团圆 － Reunion

**Through the Hoop**

**Chapter 3： __****团圆 － Reunion**

"Oi! Nanase!" I turned and saw Kagami walking over.

"Tai-chan, what is it?" I asked, looking up from my clipboard where I was taking notes on the habits of every member.

"Two things. One, stop calling me that! Two, pass me a water, will ya?" Kagami replied.

"Well Tai-chan's Tai-chan, there's no changing that," I pouted while tossing the boy a water bottle.

He drank from it and grinned, "Thanks. No thanks for the nickname."

I smiled gently. I was getting used to being here at Seirin. The teachers and students were all very welcoming and kind to me. However, above everything else, I loved the basketball club. Interacting with the team and the coach—it was like we were a family. It was probably the closest thing to family I ever had.

Smiling, I continued observing the boys as they played. Kuroko was as invisible as ever. He often the heck out of me—suddenly appearing in hallways and beside me. However, I still cared for the guy. He was a good friend when I was at Teiko and I though he was just so sweet. He also tried very hard for the team.

When Momoi had heard from Aomine that I was in Seirin, she immediately sent me a text that ordered me to keep the girls away from Tetsu-kun. It was cute and I made sure to complete her request well.

"Hmm? Miho, you're using a sheet of paper? Shouldn't you keep a notebook to store all your notes?" Riko asked me, peeking over my shoulder.

"Ah Ri-chan, yeah I should. I don't have any notebooks at home so I'll have to buy one today," I smiled and tucked a loose strand of my blue hair behind my ear.

"Will you be able to make it by yourself?" Kuroko suddenly appeared.

I jumped a bit from his sudden appearance but then put on another smile, "T-Te-chan! There's no problem! I've been to the supply store before!"

* * *

Well, that's what I said but...where the heck am I?!

Sighing, I trudged along a random street on this random avenue at a random place. Sure there was people. However, whenever I asked for directions, the directions just got me even more lost. It was completely hopeless.

"Miho-chan!" a voice shouted from behind and I instantly turned around.

I raised an eyebrow at the sight before me. Midorima was sitting in a rickshaw while Takao was peddling. Takao was probably the one that called me.

Well this was actually a really fortunate encounter! If it's Shin-chan, I'm sure he can give me the right directions!

"Takkun! Shin-chan!" I grinned as I ran over.

Takao whistled, "Look at that. Your princess arrived, Shin-chan! Are you going to give her another kiss this time?"

Midorima not-so-gently elbowed his teammate before muttering, "Shut up."

I arrived at the rickshaw and saw the white puffy elephant in Midorima's hands, "Ah! Truffles! Is he your lucky item today, Shin-chan?"

"Yes," Midorima blankly stated.

"You _name_ your lucky items?! That's totally weird!" Takao asked with a look of disbelief on his face.

I quickly spoke up, "No, we got Truffles from winning a game at this festival we went to! I have one named Maple as well!"

Smiling, I plucked the elephant out of Midorima's hands and gave it a nice squeeze, "It's still so fluffy and cute!"

I hugged the elephant to my chest when Takao burst into laughter, "Ahaha! Miho-chan, what was he like when he took you to the festival? Was he still all tsun and refusing to admit that you were beautiful?"

A blush crept up my cheeks at the mentioning of the festival. I got my first kiss with Shin-chan that day!

Trying to hide my red face, I turned around and mumbled an answer, "W-Well...y-yeah I guess..."

"Takao! Don't talk about such annoying things!" Midorima ordered before pushing up his glasses to hide his blush as well.

"Aww, Shin-chan's embarrassed!" Takao teased, "Geez, Miho-chan, you get embarrassed too easily as well!"

"I'm not embarrassed!" both Shintaro and I claim at the same time. I said it in a small whisper and Midorima said it as a clear act of defiance. This just caused us to both look at each other before turning around, blushing again.

Takao rubbed his temple, "You two should get a room."

Changing the subject before Midorima decided to hit Takao on the head, I spoke, "Hmm, anyways, do you guys know if there are any stores that sell notebooks around here?"

Takao turned towards me, "Are you looking for your lucky item tomorrow as well?"

"No, I need a notebook to take notes of the boys in the basketball club since I'm the new manager," I stated, "Wait what do you mean by lucky item and as well? Could it be that you guys are also heading towards a notebook shop?"

"Yes, my lucky item tomorrow is a pink striped notebook," Midorima pushed up his glasses.

I laughed nervously, "I wonder how you get good grades while spending all your time on searching for your lucky items..." I muttered under my breath.

"Haha! Well since Miho-chan's going to the same place as us, why don't you hop in? Besides, you looked lost," Takao suggested with a grin.

I wanted to refuse his offer to make his life less miserable by having to pedal for _two _instead of one. Trust me, I really did. However, I had absolutely no idea where I was going right now.

"Um..." I started before I felt myself being lifted off the ground, "Wah! Shin-chan?"

The green haired boy grabbed me and dropped me down on the seat beside him, "I remember the time when you were late for class by half an hour because you couldn't find the classroom. And this was in your _second_ year at a _middle school_. Don't try to convince yourself that you can find the shop on your own."

I gave a nervous sigh in defeat. I couldn't beat Shin-chan when it came to directions after all, "All right. Takkun, I'll pedal when we're halfway there."

"Geez, Miho-chan, I appreciate your offer. But Shin-chan would murder me before I allowed his cute girlfriend to pedal. Right, Shin-chan?" Takao smirked at Midorima.

The green haired man turned around and muttered, "Shut up and pedal, Takao."

Watching the interaction, I giggled softly before scooting close to Midorima and leaning on him. He stiffened at first before sighing softly and gently squeezing my hand in his.

I smiled. It was great for Shin-chan to have such a nice friend like Takao. I knew he would never admit it, but he was glad for his company as well.

* * *

"Takao, pedal," Midorima ordered as we exited the school supply shop.

In the end, Shin-chan got his lucky pink striped notebook and also bought me a white notebook with red cherry blossom flowers. I was overjoyed over receiving my first present from Shin-chan ever since I came back from the States. Shin-chan, of course denied that he just wanted to give me a present and insisted that he noticed that I didn't have enough cash for the notebook. Takao whispered the price to me and it turns out that I indeed, did have enough. Giggling, I graciously accepted the gift.

Takao sighed before hopping onto the pedaling seat. Once again, he had lost against Midorima in a coin flip match.

"Takkun, let's flip a coin to decide whether you pedal or I pedal, alright?" I suggested.

"Mi—," Midorima started only to be interrupted by me.

"Come on, Shin-chan! It's not fair for me to not participate in this since I am going to ride in it too! Takkun, I call tails!"

"Alright," Takao flipped the coin and with all of us watching, it landed on...heads.

"Hahaha," I chuckled sheepishly, "well I guess I'm pedaling!"

I was about to head to the pedaling seat when Midorima grabbed my wrist, "Forget it! Takao, Miho and I are walking home! Pedal the rickshaw home by yourself!" Midorima ordered, "Miho, let's go."

I stared blankly at the turn of events, "E-Eh?"

Takao grinned, "Shin-chan wants to have some alone time with Miho-chan! Aww, that's so cute, Shin-chan~!"

Midorima turned and flashed a furious glare at his navy haired teammate, "Shut it, we're leaving, Miho."

"A-Ah, alright. I'm sorry, Takkun!" I shouted as Shin-chan dragged me away by the wrist.

Takao waved back happily, "It's fine! Enjoy your time, you two~!"

I blushed at Takao's words. Now that I fully recognized the situation, it was quite embarrassing.

"Shin-chan, why won't you let me pedal?" I asked after we sped away from Takao.

He turned away and pushed up his glasses, "Y-You're going to be too slow."

The answer wasn't what I was expecting and I let out a sigh, "Alright..."

We walked in silence for a while until I noticed that Midorima was still holding onto my wrist. He seemed to follow my line of sight and sighed. The next thing I knew, his big hand enclosed on mine and our fingers intertwined together.

I smiled happily, "Shin-chan?"

"What?" he asked in a gruff tone.

"Thank you for the notebook!" I joyfully stated.

He muttered something that was barely hearable but I thought I made out a, _"Anything for you."_

"What was that, Shin-chan?" I asked, peering into his face. I was surprised from the small hue of red spreading across his cheeks.

He turned his face away from me, "I said that you are going to have to pay me back next time!"

My expression dropped, "What?! Ah, fine. Well thank you for paying for it nonetheless."

Shin-chan sighed, "What's there to thank for, idiot."

I smiled at this and squeeze his hand. I noticed him squeeze back after a while and I felt my heart jump in ecstasy. This guy...I really _do_ like him.

* * *

"There will be a unit final coming up next week. I expect you all to properly review the notes and study well for the test. That is all, class dismissed," Fukeda-sensei dismissed the class and I let out a sigh. Gathering up my books, I was about to leave for practice when my new friend, Yoshioka Hanako, stopped me.

"Miho-chan! Are you free this weekend?" she asked with a bright smile.

"Ah, Hana-chan! Um, I am right now. Why?" I asked back.

"Sayo-chan and I were planning to go to a group date with some cool guys. We were wondering if you wanted to come," Hanako smiled.

"Ah, well. I probably have basketball practice during the weekend..." I trailed off, trying to convince her that I did not want to go.

Hana's face dropped, "Oh...but really need one more person. You're the manager of the basketball team right? It wouldn't hurt to just skip _one_ practice, right? Pretty please?"

I sweat dropped silently and considered my options. I could lie to her and tell her that I was in charge of something very important in basketball, I could just bluntly refuse, or I could just admit that I already had a boyfriend. Which one...

"Um, the thing is, I have a boyfriend..." I mumbled, not wanting to lie to a friend or hurt her feelings.

Hanako paused for a moment before shrieking, "What?! Who is he? Is he cool? Is he in our school? What does he do? What does he look like? Does he have good grades? Mihoooo!"

I winced as Hana started shaking me by the shoulders, "A-Ahh, Hana-chan! S-Stop i-it!"

"Answer. Me. Nanase. Miho. Now!" Hana glared at me with both hands on her hips.

Sighing I looked at my friend in the eye, "Um...Midorima Shintaro. He goes to Shutoku High an—," I was easily interrupted by Hana again.

"Miiihooo! Why did you never tell me this earlier?! A-And that guy that you're dating, isn't he apart of the super hot Generation of Miracles?!"

"Huh? I thought you didn't play basketball. How did you know?" I asked.

Hana sighed, "My brother is a huuge fan of basketball. He just so happened to show me the picutres of those guys in the Monthly Basketball issue. Anyways, which one was Midorima again...?"

I laughed sheepishly, "Ah, Hana-chan, I _really_ need to go to practice. So...bye!"

With that, I grabbed my bag and sprinted off. I'm pretty sure Hanako shouted something at me before I left; however I didn't hear it.

* * *

I managed to arrive at the gym in time for the practice. Today, using the new notebook that Shin-chan bought me, I started taking down the habits of everyone.

"Mitobe's eyes glance the direction he wants to pass to before faking a pass and passing. Kogo tends to twitch his elbow ever time he's going to fake something. Hyuga always twitches his body in the direction that he's going to actually move in for a split second before faking—what the hell is this?!" Riko snatched my notebook away from my hands and read through the rest of the habits that I had noticed.

"M-M-M-Miho-chan! Is this all true?!" Riko exclaimed.

I bit my lip gently, "U-hm...yeah. At least from what _I_ noticed."

Riko covered her face with her hand, "Argh, this is disastrous! H-How can they have so many habits?!" She hissed out before giving me back my notebook.

"We must not tell them no matter what," I stated.

"Obviously! If they know, they are going to worry during a match and screw up. For now I'll just have to devise a strategy for having them avoid the habits during matches. Good work, Miho-chan. Keep it up!" Riko grinned at me before patting my shoulder.

I let out a sigh and continued observing. Even though they were a pretty well functioning team, it seemed like there was still a couple of things to work on...

* * *

"Tai-chan! You can do it!" I cheered on Kagami as he was desperately trying to use chopsticks with his left hand.

Hearing my cheering, Kagami dropped the piece of broccoli that he had finally managed to pick up, "Arrgh, shit! Nanase, shut your dumb cheering, will ya?!"

I gave a soft sigh, "I'm sorry."

Fukuda patted my back, "Ah, Nanase-chan! It's okay! Kagami-kun's just being a brat! What's been wrong with you since this morning anyhow," Fukuda gave Kagami a skeptical look.

"What's he doing here," Kawahara blankly stated. We were at a fast food restaurant after practice. It was originally only the juniors that were going. However, Kagami, Kuroko, and I tagged along.

"He said he's practicing using his left hand," Furihata replied with a not-impressed face.

"I'm training my leg to endure numerous jumps and improving my left hand. Then, I'll be able to move freely in an aerial battle!" Kagami proudly stated his goals.

"By the way, do you guys have anything planned this weekend? It _is_ one of our rare breaks after all," Fukuda asked.

"Hmph, I usually just sleep in," Kagami stated, while giving up on chopsticks and just eating fries with his hand.

I sipped some of my lemonade, "Do any of you have anything in mind?"

Suddenly, Furihata piped up, "I got an idea! How about we go to this? You guys want to join?"

Furihata pulled out a piece of paper from his bag.

"Street basketball competition...on our precious break from basketball training, we end up going back to the same game?!" Kagami exclaimed.

"Where is that? It takes thirty minutes by train I think..." Kawahara mumbled.

"Is it too late to sign up now?"

"It says you can enroll on the day we get there."

"You two are regulars, but we want to compete in competitions sometimes!" Furihata claimed.

"Why don't we go then? I'll probably be a bit later since I have to pick something up for Ri-chan, but you guys should go if you want," I suggested with a smile.

"...Okay, let's go!" Kagami grinned.

"But why is Miho-chan going?" Kuroko asked me.

I thought for a while before smiling, "Well I want to observe Te-chan play! Also, it's probably good data to see others play."

"Fair enough, then it's decided! Saturday at nine, at the street basketball court. All of us except Nanase-chan, who's coming later. Agreed?" Kawahara asked.

"Yep!" we all cheered.

* * *

"Ah, what a mess!" I grumbled. Riko told me to head to the Winter Cup sign up center and ask when the faceoff pairings were coming out. Having only a measly address and a measly map on my phone, I got lost on my way there and also got lost on my way back to Seirin.

The seniors were all there practicing when I _finally_ managed to find my way back to the school and Riko scolded me for taking so long. After a while, I finally was able to set off for the street basketball competition, and what do you know, it started raining by the time I managed to find my way there.

I found my way to the court that Seirin was playing on only to see Kagami completely fail at defending a basket. The person who shot the ball had dark blue hair and looked quite frightening. After that, I noticed a man beside the blue haired man—Murasakibara Atsushi. Kuroko and the former member of the Generation of Miracles exchanged a couple of words before both of them walked away.

On his way out, Murasakibara seemed to notice me by the entrance of the court, "Huh? Nana-chin?"

"Atsu-chan," I replied. I told Aomine that I was planning to contact both Murasakibara and Akashi during the weekend. However, being so busy, I never got the chance.

"It _is_ Nana-chin!" Atsushi beamed and lifted me up in his arms and swung me around, "You're as small as ever! Like Kuro-chin!"

"Ahaha...It's nice to see you too, Atsu-chan," I laughed after he put me back down onto the ground.

Meanwhile, Kuroko and the others have all gathered around.

"Miho-chan, you came," Kuroko stated.

"Sorry, Te-chan. I came kinda late, huh," I laughed sheepishly.

The blue haired guy from before stood beside Murasakibara, "Who is she?"

"Nana-chin! She's Mido-chin's girlfriend and she always used to give me sweets after my matches!" Atsushi happily hugged me, "Any sweets today, Nana-chin?"

"S-Sorry no," I weakly replied after he publically announced my relationship with Midorima and gave me a death hug.

"Che, let her go. We're leaving," the blue haired guy walked past us.

Murasakibara pouted before patting my head, "Oh well. I'll see you later, Nana-chin!"

After they both finally left, I let out a loud sigh and hugged my cold body from the rain.

"Oi, Nanase. Let's get to somewhere dry," Kagami pointed towards the direction of the train station. Agreeing, we all ran off.

"Nanase, dry your hair off and turn around!" Kagami tossed me a towel.

Realizing the shirt I was wearing was completely see through, I blushed and turned around the hide myself.

"Miho-chan, you can borrow my jacket," Kuroko passed me his jacket and I accepted it.

"Thank you, Te-chan. I promise I'll wash it once I get back home," I nodded and bowed to the boy.

"Your welcome," he smiled sweetly at me.

Suddenly, my phone in my bag rumbled and I took it out to see a new text.

_"Miho, it's late and I can't find Satsuki. Have any ideas on where the hell she is? ~Aomine Daiki."_

Glancing around, I saw that nobody was looking at me. Biting my lip, I replied, _"Where are you? I'll help you find her."_

He replied in a matter of seconds,_ "Meet me at your train station. You'll be lost before you can find me."_

I winced at the truth and turned to Kagami and the others, "Um...something's come up, so I'll have to head back to my station first."

"Yeah, go ahead without us, Nanase-chan. Sorry to drag you out here in the rain," Furihata apologized.

I smiled and bowed, "It's no problem. I had fun. Thank you all for inviting me and sorry for just ditching. Te-chan, thank you for the jacket."

"No problem. See you, Miho-chan," Kuroko waved at me as I walked to the train platform. I grinned and waved back.

I didn't know _what_ was going to happen with Aomine. However, I knew I had to apologize for last time.

* * *

A/N: Disclaimer - I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or any of the characters.

Yaaay! Done the third chapter! By the way, I love you guys for reviewing and liking this story! As you can see, the updates are much faster with lots of reviews and followers. ^_^ Those things really make me want to write a lot! If I can get lots of reviews, I'll try to update a chapter a day!

Anyways, one more chapter till the start of the winter cup. The next one will mostly be about Shin-chan and his comedies, I think. Well, I really hoped that you all enjoyed this chapter! Please, please, please review even if you found something wrong about the chapter! If it was spelling or grammar or some part that made no sense, I'll definitely fix it! Well, it is also great to just leave a little note of encouragement for me~.

I think I have rambled enough now. I hope you all look forward to the next chapter and once again, please do review and fave. I would really appreciate those things.

Anyways, thank you for reading this chapter and my story! I love you all so much!

~Yuvi


	4. 完美的一天 － A Good Day

**Through the Hoop**

**Chapter 4： **_**完美的一天 －**** A Good Day**_

"What the hell?" was the first thing Aomine greeted me with once he saw me, "Why are you soaked through?"

I grimaced before sighing softly, "I was sort of watching street basketball...and then it started raining.

He inwardly facepalmed, "Then why did you come to help me when you were soaked through?"

"Because Sa-chan's my friend! And well...I wanted to apologize for last time," I whispered the last part.

I looked down before hearing Aomine sigh and then something heavy slumped on my shoulders.

I looked and saw a large jacket, "H-Huh?"

"Just use it. You'll catch a cold like that," Aomine patted my head gently and I nodded in gratitude.

After putting on the jacket, I turned back to Aomine, "So what happened?"

He dug his fingers into his hair and let out a long sigh, "I think it was my fault. During the last match with Kise, I kinda injured my knees. Satsuki found out and told the coach, who refused to let me play in any matches. I got pissed at her and yeah..."

I listened intently before nodding, "So that's why none of the Generation of Miracles played in the last few rounds of Interhigh."

"Yep. They probably found it unnecessary," Aomine shook his head before turning to me, "So, do you have any ideas on where she could be?"

I hugged myself to warm up and then thought for a while, "Someone she can depend on and freely tell the situation to. In other words, someone who knows her and also knows you."

"I don't think it would be one of her friends..." Aomine mumbled.

"Te-chan," I whispered. It was the only logical answer. Te-chan would be able to console her about basketball and Aomine properly.

"Tetsu! Why didn't I think of him earlier? Miho, call him to see if he has seen Satsuki," Aomine told me.

I nodded before dialing Kuroko's number. There were a few rings before someone picked up.

"Hello?" it was Te-chan's voice that first spoke.

"Te-chan! Have you seen Sa-chan anywhere?" I asked.

There was a pause, "Momoi-san? Yeah, she's at Seirin right now. Do you need to speak with her?"

"Ah, one sec," I told Kuroko before turning to look at Aomine.

"He said that she's at Seirin right now. Do you need to speak with her?" I asked Aomine.

He shook his head, "Tell him there's no need. If she's with Tetsu, then she should be fine."

I stared at Aomine for a while before turning back to the phone, "Te-chan, it's alright. Thank you for telling me."

"Ah, no problem. Miho-chan, you're with Aomine-kun, right?" Kuroko asked.

"Ah! Yeah..." I sighed—he nailed it.

There was another pause, "I see. Tell Aomine-kun not to worry. We'll bring Momoi-san back home."

"Alright. Thank you, Te-chan," I smiled at nobody in particular.

"No problem. Get home safely, Miho-chan," with that, the phone clicked and the line died.

I closed the phone and both Aomine and I remained silent for a while.

Finally, he broke the silence, "You should get home now."

I looked around and saw the sky getting darker and the rain stopping. I smiled sadly, "Yeah."

There was nothing really fun awaiting me at home. I had to finish the homework that I didn't do yesterday and maybe carve some alabaster stone. Stone carving was one of my hobbies. I absolutely detested drawing, though I probably at some talent in that area, but I love stone carving. Seeing the beautiful items I could make and then furthermore polish was very enjoyable. Stone carving was probably the only thing I did that wasn't something a typical 'ojou-sama' would do.

I had taken some ballet and piano when I was in elementary and middle school. However, I quit them because I wanted to do basketball. I was glad, though, because I didn't really enjoy any of those things in the first place.

Still standing there and hugging myself from the cold, I stared up at the now drizzling sky. I didn't want to go home. However, seeing that I still had homework to do, I turned to Aomine.

"I'm sorry for what happened last time. I shouldn't have acted like I did," I started into Aomine's piercing blue eyes.

He stared back at me for a while before letting out a huff of a sigh and turning away, "It's fine. I acted inappropriately too. Now go home before your parents worry."

I let out a dry laugh, "Heh, _worry_? My parents don't _worry_. The only reason why they would worry about me would be because if I disappear, they wouldn't have a daughter to brag about. _Worry_ isn't something in their dictionary."

Suddenly, after hearing Aomine's words, something snapped inside of me. I released all my inner frustrations out. He turned around and stared at me wide-eyed.

"Miho—," he started and reached his hand out towards me.

I merely shook my head, "It's fine. I'll head back now. I was just kidding! My parents are super worrywarts!"

I forced a laugh to cover up my depression on the inside. Smiling brightly, I turned and ran away from Aomine, biting back the tears that were threatening to ruin my act. He didn't know and he didn't need to know. I had troubled Kise and Midorima enough about my own issues. There's no need to trouble Aomine as well.

* * *

Once I managed to get back home, my father immediately criticized my condition, "Miho. What were you doing out all day and not doing homework? You _do_ know what happens if your grades drop, right? Also, coming back soaked through?! I thought you were better than this, Miho. I thought I had finally managed to get your behavior straight from that year in the States. Was your aunty not strict enough, huh? Maybe I should get you to go back to her! You insolent brat!"

I bit my lip and bowed deeply in front of my father, "I'm sorry. However, I _will_ ace all the tests this year. If my rank ever drops to second, I'll go back to Aunt Bobe. I'm very sorry, father."

"Apologies! That's all you know how to do! You're such a useless child, Miho. I thought I trained you better. Go, go and do your homework before I spank you!" my father grabbed the newspaper on the dinner table and whacked my face with it, "Quit standing there! Off with you!"

Clenching my fists, I ran up the staircase and shut the door to my room. Once there, I grabbed Maple, the white elephant that Shin-chan gave me, and buried my face in it.

Why was he always like this? Why did my mother never stop him? Why is it that, even with my grades meeting his expectations, he still gets angry with me? It doesn't make any sense! What have I ever done to _him_?

"Damn it!" I cursed before grabbing out my homework with tear filled eyes. There was no way in _hell_ I was going to lose everything because of my father again. Never.

* * *

"Whew," blowing out a small sigh of relief, I smiled as I walked towards my house. Basketball practice had gone smoothly and Kuroko had told me about his new move, the Invisible Drive. It seems like he has almost perfected it. Riko and I were very happy about the news and we both worked harder to make the team strong before the Winter Cup.

The date for the preliminaries of the Winter Cup was inching close. Touou and Rakuzan, because that placed in the top two of the Interhigh Championships, got an automatic ticket to the Winter Cup. Seirin, on the other hand, still had to go through the preliminary round.

The challenge was pretty exciting. My original plan after practice was to go home, research Senshinkan, the first team we were playing, and then finish my homework. However, I got a distressing text from Shin-chan.

_"I almost died today."_

Seeing the text, I immediately called the man, whom picked up quickly.

"Miho?" his voice sounded fine...

"Shin-chan! Are you okay? Did a car hit you? Which hospital are you at? Do you need blood transfusions?!" I fumbled out all the things I could think of.

Midorima just let out a choking noise, "M-Miho! Calm down. I just had a hell of a day."

"Shin-chan! A bad day doesn't equal, 'I almost _died_'! You gave me a heart attack!" I shouted into the phone.

The other side was silent for a while before stated simply, "Meet me at the park by my house."

With that, the phone clicked.

"Wahh! Shin-chan!" I complained at the beeping noise from my phone before quickly gathering up my belongings and heading to the park.

* * *

"Ahh, I made it!" I breathed out.

Somehow, I had managed to arrive at the park without many issues. I halfheartedly wondered if my horoscope ranking was in first place today. However, seeing Shintaro's face in front of mine, I knew it wasn't possible.

He had a couple pieces of noodles on his head, his uniform was wet, and everything he was carrying looked dirty and ruffled. However, the scariest part was the frightening glare he was giving me.

"S-Shin-chan..." I muttered before taking a seat beside him on the bench. In his hand held a red balloon, "W-What happened to you?!"

He gave an inward sigh before turning to me and starting his story, "I think it started months ago..."

* * *

_"Man proposes, God disposes."_

_This means: "To assume a state of mind in which you do everything that is humanly possible and then entrust the final outcome to fate." Furthermore, if you extrapolate upon this proverb, it can also be interpreted to mean: "If you give your best effort, results will naturally follow."_

_Midorima Shintarou, who maintains this proverb as his personal creed so that he will be chosen by fate, lives a systematic daily life based on extraordinary effort and superstition. He thereby does everything in his power to succeed._

_He is especially conscientious where superstition is concerned. In the morning, he always begins by putting on his glasses using only his right hand. At night, after lying down once on his futon, he gets up again, stretches, dons his nightcap, and goes to sleep. Midorima forces himself to follow this extreme, peculiar lifestyle._

_And sometimes, in order to abide by these superstitions, he finds himself in situations like the present one._

_This happened on a certain morning. When Midorima awoke, he reached for his glasses with his right hand, just as he always did._

"…_hm?" Midorima questioned softly, still lying in his futon._

_His right hand brushed against the fabric of the futon instead of closing around his glasses._

_With his right hand, he searched the surrounding area for his glasses, but they were nowhere to be found._

"_What's going on…?" Midorima muttered, irritated. He sat up and fixed his gaze on the place where his glasses should have been._

_On a normal day, his glasses would have been sitting by the side of his pillow, but now, they had disappeared without a trace._

"_Hm…?"_

_Midorima raised his eyebrows and cast a glance about the area around his futon. However, he saw nothing that resembled a pair of glasses._

"_Nn…?"_

_Now he was concerned with an entirely different problem._

_How had he been able to determine, with extreme ease, that his glasses were not anywhere in the vicinity?_

_At the same time this question arose, Midorima touched his right cheek with his right hand._

_Something clinked beneath his fingertips. It was a familiar sensation._

_His glasses._

"_I forgot to take them off…" Midorima couldn't help but sigh._

_Thinking back, he remembered that he had had trouble falling asleep the night before, so he had started counting the wood grains in the ceiling. Apparently, he had fallen asleep while counting, and as a result, he had worn his glasses all night long._

_Fortunately, since Midorima seldom moved in his sleep, he hadn't dropped his glasses and crushed them with his body._

_Incidentally, with regard to this particular characteristic of Midorima's, Takao had said, "You sleep on your back all night long without so much as a twitch! That's seriously freaky! And you have too many superstitions! Way too many!"_

_Takao had teased Midorima about it when they shared a room during the summer training camp. However, this morning, thanks to Midorima's sleeping posture, he had been able to protect his precious glasses. So the teasing was completely unwarranted, and perhaps being able to sleep without moving was a quality Midorima should be proud of. _

_In any case, he had clearly made a mistake by falling asleep while wearing his glasses. __How could I do such a thing…?__, he wondered as he prodded his furrowed brow with a fingertip._

_He glanced at the clock and realized that it was past the time he had planned to wake up. The phrase 'I'm late because I overslept' was not in Midorima's dictionary._

_Midorima immediately moved to get out of his futon. But when he planted his left hand on the floor and rose to one knee—_

"_!"_

_Just as if an electric current had coursed through him, his entire body stiffened, and he lost his balance. As his body pitched forward, he braced his right hand on the futon and was somehow able to catch himself before he fell._

_Midorima froze in that position as a feeling of despair washed over him._

_A bead of cold sweat rolled down his cheek._

_And then he realized the problem, which was something he should never have been able to overlook._

_And that problem was—_

"_I didn't use my right hand to put on my glasses this morning…!" as he stared into empty space, this single sentence fell from his lips. The grave tone of his voice signified that this was indeed a dire problem._

_One could argue that since he had first __touched__ his glasses with his right hand, that could perhaps be interpreted as "using his right hand to put on his glasses". This controversy gave rise to a great deal of debate within the realm of Midorima's thoughts._

_Moreover, it was morning. He would have to leave for school in a little while, so solving this problem was a race against the clock. Worrying about the situation would not grant him an extension._

"_Urgh, I guess I don't have a choice…!" mindful of the time, Midorima, who had reached this decision in less than a second, began to execute the best plan out of all the countermeasures he had devised._

_That plan was as follows, "I've got to go back to bed again!"_

_He laid his head back on his pillow. He had concluded that the only way to fulfill the first superstition of the morning was to get back in bed and repeat the process of getting up._

_He placed his glasses beside his pillow and closed his eyes. If he could repeat the process within a reasonable amount of time, it would be just as if he had awoken according to schedule._

_But Midorima promptly sat up again, "If I'm going back to bed, then I have to redo my stretches!"_

_He slipped out of his futon, performed his stretches, adjusted his nightcap, and crawled back into his futon a second time._

_Thus, having fulfilled the conditions of his pre-bedtime superstitions, Midorima rose once more and deliberately put on his glasses by using his right hand._

_At first glance, this string of preparations might appear to be meaningless. However, as far as Midorima was concerned, it was all part of doing everything in his power. In order to be chosen by fate, Midorima had accepted the fact that such efforts and hardships were necessary._

_But fate is always ready to impose unexpected trials upon us._

* * *

_The real story starts now. _

_On this day, just like any other, Midorima put on his glasses with his right hand, finished getting ready in his room, and entered the living room. After greeting his mother, who was standing in the kitchen, he sat down at the table where breakfast was ready and waiting, then checked to see that the television was on._

_The show currently airing was, of course, "Oha Asa"._

_His timing was perfect. Right on schedule, the daily horoscope segment was just beginning._

_The announcer presented the horoscope and today's lucky item for each astrological sign in sequential order._

"_Up next—Cancer! Cancers should take great care today!"_

_Midorima, who had been eating his breakfast while ignoring the other horoscopes, suddenly fixed his eyes on the screen._

"_You could experience some unexpected events today, so make sure to carry your lucky item with you at all times!"_

_Midorima focused on the television so as not to miss a single word._

"_The lucky item for Cancers is a red…"_

"_Red"? Midorima instantly called to mind all of the red-colored goods in his possession. He waited to hear the next words._

"_And now, let's check in with Saitou-saaan!"_

"_Pffft—!" at the sudden shock, Midorima spit out the rice he had been chewing and stared blankly at the television with his mouth hanging open._

_On the screen was not the "Oha Asa" horoscope segment he was accustomed to seeing. Instead, the screen displayed an image of an unfamiliar place. It was clearly a different channel._

"_W-what's going on?!"_

_Midorima frantically searched for the remote control. Everyone in his family knew that he watched "Oha Asa" religiously. There was no way one of them would have changed the channel._

_Then who was responsible?_

_As Midorima scanned the room, looking for the remote control, his eyes fell upon an unfamiliar object atop the low table in front of the television set. He froze in place._

"_Where the heck did you come from?!"_

_There, with one paw poised on the remote control that lay on the low table, staring up at Midorima with an adorable expression on its face, was a black cat._

"_Meooow."_

_Midorima had not noticed before, but the window looking out onto the garden was open, the curtains fluttering in the breeze. It appeared that a stray cat had wandered in from outside._

_The cat meowed at him again, nimbly crossed the room, and hopped up on the table where the morning meal was laid out._

"_Do you know what you've just done?!" overcome by anger, Midorima reached out a hand to grab the cat._

_But the cat easily dodged his outstretched hand, snatched up the piece of salmon that had been part of Midorima's breakfast, and leapt down from the table._

"_What?! You thieving cat! You stole my precious breakfast! Get back here!"_

_But the cat could not understand human speech, of course, and it would not have stopped even if it __had__ understood._

_The cat exited through the open window and vanished in an instant._

"_This is why I hate cats!" Midorima said in disgust before returning his attention to the television._

_Even if he were to change the channel back, the "Oha Asa" horoscope segment would have already ended._

"_How could this happen…," Midorima groaned to himself._

_The fact that he had failed to hear the day's lucky item was a serious affair._

_Internally, Midorima desperately sought a solution to this problem. Should he look at the "Oha Asa" homepage? No, the results of the daily horoscopes were never posted on the web site._

_Should he try to guess today's lucky item based on data from previous days? It was no use. He had determined many times before that there was no predictable pattern behind the lucky items that were chosen._

_Should he ask someone? He couldn't stand the thought of asking someone else, so he gave up on that idea._

_Midorima bit his lip. He couldn't think of a single good idea. Now that things had come to this, there was only possible choice he could make._

_Midorima balled his hands into fists, hurried through the rest of his breakfast, and returned to his room._

* * *

_"Whoa, Shin-chan, what happened to you?!" Takao Kazunari exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Midorima enter the classroom._

"_It's nothing. There's nothing wrong," looking extremely sullen, Midorima removed his uniform jacket and sat down at his desk._

"_Uh-uh, no way. That's obviously not true. I mean, look at you, you're sweating bullets," Takao, whose desk was in front of Midorima's, turned around in his chair so that he was facing backwards. With an amused expression, he watched Midorima mop the sweat from his brow._

"_We didn't have practice this morning, so did you hop in the sauna or something? What're you, some old guy?"_

"_Why on earth would I do a thing like that?!" Midorima glared daggers at Takao, but Takao didn't seem bothered in the slightest and instead smiled cheerfully back at him._

"_Okay, so what happened, then?"_

"…_why would I tell someone who is obviously enjoying this?"_

"_Whaaat? Shin-chan's such a meanie~!"_

"_Cut it out. That's disgusting."_

"_Hey, now, what's the matter? C'mon, tell me."_

"…" _Midorima thought for a moment and finally gave a long sigh._

_Rather than further complicate matters, he decided that it would be less of a hassle if he were to simply explain the situation._

_With a sigh, he said, "Got snagged by a truck."_

"_What?"_

_Takao's almond-shaped eyes went wide._

"'_Got snagged by a truck'? What did?"_

"_I did."_

"_What? Why? Wait, no way, you were kidnapped?! That can't be right. I mean, you're right here, Shin-chan. So it was an attempted kidnapping! Wait, someone tried to __kidnap__ you?!"_

_Takao looked at Midorima, who was sitting right before his eyes, and shook his head, apparently completely baffled._

"_Why would someone want to kidnap a giant guy like Shin-chan?"_

"_Why are you jumping to random conclusions…?!" Midorima glared at Takao in annoyance. _

_It was such an intense glare that if looks could kill, Takao would likely not have escaped unscathed. Takao relented and raised both of his hands in a gesture of surrender._

"_Alright, alright, don't glare at me like that. But that doesn't make any sense, you know? Just telling me 'you got snagged by a truck' doesn't explain anything about what happened."_

"…" _Midorima heaved a long sigh for the second time and, with his elbows on the desk, cradled his head in his hands._

_Despite having experienced it first-hand, Midorima thought that there was no possible way he would be able to explain what had happened._

_That morning, Midorima left his house approximately on time and started to take his usual path to school. He was walking on a narrow residential street. It was a one-way street, one which cars seldom passed through._

_But that morning, strangely enough, there was a truck parked in the street. The truck was parked so that it took up the entire width of the street, such that the only way for him to continue on his way was to squeeze past the side of the vehicle. Since superstition dictated that he must take this path on his way to school, taking a detour was not an option. He could have waited for the truck's driver to return, but he had no idea when that might be. Reluctantly, Midorima turned his body sideways and, walking just like a crab, started to squeeze his way past the truck._

_If he walked while pressing his back up against the wall, he would just be able to make it past the side of the vehicle. Midorima worked his way along as quickly and carefully as possible, but all of a sudden, he was jerked backwards._

_He turned his head in surprise, only to see that somehow the shoulder strap of his sports bag had gotten caught on one of the metal fittings on the bed of the truck._

_Repressing the urge to click his tongue in frustration, he reached out a hand to free the shoulder strap from the metal fitting._

_But at that moment—_

_Vr-vr-vroom._

_Telltale, oily fumes spewed out from the rear of the truck._

_It can't possibly be…__ An unsettling suspicion struck Midorima._

_In a split-second decision, Midorima yanked the strap of his sports bag off his shoulder, and in the very same instant—_

_The truck started moving._

"_Huh? It started __moving__?! Seriously?!" Takao, who had been listening to Midorima relate the story, wore an expression that was a mixture of shock and astonishment._

"_Why would I lie about something like this?" Midorima said indignantly._

"_Well, yeah, but… I mean, would someone really just start driving in that kind of situation? Wouldn't they, I dunno, check behind the truck or something?"_

"_I don't know. Regardless, the truck started moving."_

"_Yeah, okay… So after it started moving, what did you do?"_

"_I didn't have a choice. I started running."_

"_Come again?"_

"_There's no way I could simply let the truck drive away with my sports bag. So I had to chase after it."_

_I n the end, until the truck came to a temporary stop before merging onto a main road, Midorima had apparently chased after it as if his life depended on it._

"_So before it turned onto the main road, you didn't try yelling 'Stop—!' or anything?"_

_In response to Takao's simple question, Midorima replied, "It would disturb the people in the neighborhood if I were to start yelling like that on a residential street."_

_Takao wanted to ask, "Don't you think it's alright to try yelling in a situation like that?", but previous experience had taught him that it would be pointless to press Midorima any further. So instead, he settled for the "safe" option and, still wearing a stunned expression, said, "What a rough morning."_

_However, Midorima's next words were a source of further astonishment._

_He said lightly, "Compared to that, falling into a manhole was laughable…"_

"_Whaaat?! What's that about?"_

"_It's nothing, really. I just fell into a manhole."_

"_Um, there's no such thing as 'just falling into a manhole'! Why'd you fall in?!"_

"_Because the cover of the manhole was open, obviously."_

"_Yeah, that doesn't make any sense!"_

"_An old woman accidentally sprayed me with water while she was watering her garden, so she invited me into her house as an apology. However, when I turned down her invitation and made to leave, there was an open manhole in the way. That's all."_

"_Wait, that doesn't sound the least bit weird to you?! And don't give me that 'that's all' crap!" Takao's head had started to hurt. The story was so ridiculous that he was tempted to ask, "Is this a joke?"_

"_Shin-chan, are you cursed or something today? Did you do something bad?"_

"…_it has nothing to do with you."_

_Takao didn't miss the slight, strange pause that proceeded Midorima's words._

"_No, it has everything to do with me. Umm, let's see—if something happens to you while we're together, then I might get mixed up in it, too, you know?"_

"_What an idiotic…"_

_Midorima never finished his sentence. A female student shrieked behind him, and then a great deal of water cascaded over his head._

"_Whoa—!"_

_With characteristic reflexes, Takao nimbly hopped backwards in order to avoid the spray._

"_I-I'm so sorry, Midorima-kun! Are you alright?!" flustered, the female student approached a water-logged Midorima. A flower vase was clutched in her hands._

"_I was going to change the water in the flower vase, but I tripped…"_

_Midorima glumly brushed his dripping hair out of his eyes. A cosmos flower that had evidently tumbled out of the vase with the water fell down from his head. _

"…_pfft…hehe…ahahahahahaha—!" Takao could bear it no longer and burst out laughing._

"_Whoa! That was straight out of a manga! Shin-chan got…w-with a flower vase…ahahahahaha!"_

_Midorima's expression was murderous, but despite being dead in his sights, Takao could not stop laughing._

_The female student was very apologetic and continued to repeat, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"_

_Midorima glanced at her and merely said, "Don't worry about it," before he got up and walked out of the classroom. _

_Takao turned to the female student and added, "It'll be alright. Shin-chan's got a change of clothes with him."_

_He then took off after Midorima._

_Midorima, who was hurrying on his way to the boys' locker room, realized that Takao was following him. He didn't bother to hide his displeasure as he said, "Why are you coming with me?!"_

"_Well, I was so worried about you, Shin-chan, that…pfft…hehe…!"_

"_You're enjoying this, aren't you?! Besides, you were just worrying about getting involved! You were trying to figure out a way to save yourself!"_

"_Man, people sure are scary when they get defensive. Anyway, something must have happened, right? C'mon, tell me!"_

_Midorima refused to answer and entered the boys' locker room. Takao followed him as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to do so._

"_Takao…" Midorima glared at Takao in annoyance. _

_Takao gave him a wry smile, "I told you not to glare at me like that. For starters, get out of that wet uniform. While you dry off, I'll go put it in the clubhouse laundry."_

"…"

_With nothing but a small sigh, Midorima turned away and started to undress._

* * *

_After he had changed into his spare uniform and started to return to the classroom, Midorima reluctantly told Takao his suspicions about what had happened. Takao's eyes went wide._

"_So basically, all that stuff happened to you because you don't have the item for your horoscope?!"_

"_Most likely, yes… I brought all of the red items I could find around my house, but they haven't had any effect."_

_As he spoke, Midorima opened the fastener of his sports bag. Inside, there was a red ballpoint pen, a cup, a chili pepper, a plate, a one-eyed __daruma__, and a pair of high heels, among other items. His bag was overflowing with the color red._

"_Whoa…what a collection…," Takao said. _

_He picked up the pair of high heels, "Are these your mother's?"_

"_Yes. It seems she used to wear them when she was younger."_

"_Yeah…? I bet your mother never thought her sentimental belongings would come in handy at a time like this, huh?" Takao's amazed expression gradually shifted as he tried to suppress another bout of laughter._

"_I mean, you have all this bad luck just because you don't have the right item…? 'Oha Asa' is really something else…pfft!"_

_Takao was on the verge of bursting into laughter, but he somehow fought back the urge when he felt Midorima's eyes on him._

_Instead, he schooled his features into a neutral expression and asked, "You must have missed a day before now, right? What'd you do then?"_

"_I have never missed a day."_

"_Huh?"_

"_Ever since I started watching 'Oha Asa', I have never missed a day."_

"_Seriously?!"_

"_Yes. There have been times when I was unable to acquire the lucky item, but I have never missed a day."_

"_Whoa, that's hardcore."_

_Takao raised both hands toward the ceiling as if to say all hope was lost. From there, he clasped his hands behind his head and looked directly at Midorima, "I don't really understand the reason why this is happening, but wouldn't it be best to try and find your lucky item? At this rate, you might die of back luck, you know?"_

"_What an idiotic…" Before he said anything further, Midorima cast a glance over his shoulder to make sure that no one was approaching him with a flower vase this time._

_Upon seeing this, Takao pointed out, "See, you're obviously worried about it. Between the flower vase just now and the truck this morning, don't you think that's a little bit too unlucky? I'm just sayin', I guess it really __is__ dangerous for you not to have your lucky item."_

"_But these are the only red items I have."_

"_Well, then we'll just have to find some other ones, right?"_

_Takao rifled through his school bag for a moment. When he found what he was looking for, he said, "Here ya go," and held it out to Midorima._

"_As far as red items go, this is all I've got."_

"…_what is __that__ supposed to be?" _

_In response to Midorima, who was suspiciously eyeing the item being offered to him, Takao replied, "Can't you tell? It's a headband," as if there were nothing unusual about it._

_Takao twirled the thin, red headband around with his left hand, "It's red, ain't it?"_

"_I can see that. But you can't possibly intend to give it to me…?"_

"_Yep. Wanna put it on?"_

"_Why would I do that?!"_

"_What d'ya mean? It might be your lucky item."_

"_There's no way I could wear something so girly!"_

"_Hey, I use it sometimes! It's really handy, so just try it on!"_

"_I refuse! Besides, why on earth do you have a red headband in the first place?!"_

"_My little sister gave it to me! It's pretty cute, huh?!"_

"_How should I know?!"_

"_Come on, just put it on already! It's better than dying, right?!"_

"—_!" Midorima immediately fell silent. _

_Takao saw his chance and pressed his advantage, "If a headband really __were__ the lucky item from 'Oha Asa', you'd wear one, wouldn't you?"_

_Midorima was absolutely silent. Takao quickly set the headband in place on Midorima's head._

_Takao grinned…or rather, he smiled in satisfaction._

_That moment marked the first time since they had started attending Shuutoku High School that Takao had successfully managed to persuade Midorima._

* * *

_Immediately after second period ended, Takao said to Midorima, "Shin-chan, I don't think that's your lucky item."_

"…_I figured that out a while ago," Midorima replied while he massaged his temples. Even though it was still only mid-morning, he was already exhausted._

_First and second period were combined into a double period for art class. After they had relocated to the art room, they were tasked with making a sketch of a sculpture…or at least, that had been the plan._

_That plan never became reality—the reason being that Midorima had destroyed the sculptures._

_At the beginning of first period, the art teacher had directed Midorima and several other male students to place the sculptures around the classroom. The teacher planned to have the students divide into groups and make sketches of the sculptures._

_However, the sculptures turned out to be considerably heavy. Midorima stumbled while carrying one of them and fell down, and in the process, he managed to trip up another one of the students carrying a sculpture. Then, just like a line of dominoes, that student knocked over another student, who in turn knocked over __another__ student… As a result of this chain reaction, all of the sculptures lay in pieces._

_As a matter of course, Midorima had to suffer a scolding from the art teacher._

_Back in the classroom, Takao returned the headband to his bag. _

_He said, "Hey, cheer up, okay?" and patted Midorima on the shoulder, "You can't give up hope yet!"_

"_I can't believe you can say things like that without any intention of taking responsibility for them…"_

"_It'll be fine; it'll be fine! I've already taken care of it. Just leave it to me!" Takao flashed Midorima a thumbs up._

"_How so?"_

_Takao's words, which were brimming with confidence, conversely heightened Midorima's feeling of uneasiness. _

_One of their classmates called to them, "Takao, there's a senpai here to see you!"_

_Together, Midorima and Takao turned their attention to the doorway, where Ootsubo Taisuke, a third year, was standing. Ootsubo waved and said, "Yo," while he waited for them to come closer._

"_Why are you here, Captain…?" Midorima cocked his head to one side in confusion, and Takao cheerfully replied, "I asked him to come."_

"_You got here fast, Captain."_

_Ootsubo replied, exasperated, "You're one who sent me a text asking me to hurry over. Anyway, Midorima."_

_ Ootsubo turned to Midorima with a serious expression. "I hear you're in the middle of a crisis. I don't know whether this is your lucky item or not, but I thought I'd give it a shot."_

_He offered the paper bag he was carrying to Midorima, "Don't die, got it?"_

"_Why is everyone making such a big deal out of this…?"_

_Midorima accepted the paper bag and cast a sidelong glance at Takao. Takao nonchalantly averted his eyes._

"…_is it alright if I look at what's inside?" Midorima inquired of Ootsubo, who answered, "Sure, go ahead," with a kind smile._

"_Oh, I wanna see! I wanna see! What kind of stuff does the captain carry around with him…huh?"_

_Upon seeing the item that had been withdrawn from the bag, Takao's eyes narrowed._

"_W-what __is__ that…?"_

_Standing beside a dumbstruck Takao, Midorima mutely withdrew a long scarf from the bag, "…this is…hand-knitted, isn't it?"_

_Midorima focused his gaze on the scarf. _

_Ootsubo smiled happily and said, "Oh, you can tell?"_

_Oostubo's reaction elicited an immediate response from Takao._

"_Oh, was it a present from one of your fans, Captain?! Like, 'This is a handmade scarf! I hope it keeps you nice and warm! Even though I wish __I__ could be the one to keep you warm!', or something like that?!"_

_Midorima and Ootsubo started coolly at Takao, who had spoken in a cute, perky falsetto and even raised his pinky finger for the full effect. _

"_Takao, that's weird."_

"_Yeah, it's pretty weird."_

"_Et tu__, Captain?! But isn't that what happened?!" Takao protested with a pout._

"_Sorry to disappoint, but that's not it," Ootsubo answered. "I'm the one who made it."_

"_Whaaaaat?!"_

_Midorima and Takao looked back and forth between the scarf and Ootsubo, then stared at the scarf once more._

_It was quite well made._

"_Captain, I didn't know knitting was one of your hobbies…"_

"_Of course it's not. I made it in home economics class."_

"_Oh, I see…"_

"_But I started enjoying myself while I was knitting. So it got a little long."_

_Ootsubo laughed as if he were slightly embarrassed, "I tend to go a little overboard with things like that.""_

'"_A little long', you say…," Midorima said as he held up the scarf. It was as long as Midorima was tall. _

"_It's so __long__…," Takao murmured. It was a thought that was better left unsaid, but the length of the scarf was such that it was practically begging to be verbalized._

"_I've got some other stuff, too. Have a look," with a smile, Ootsubo pointed to the paper bag. His smile was overflowing with joy at having an opportunity to show off his handiwork._

_Midorima did as he was told and rummaged through the bag. One after another, he pulled out a red wool sweater, a handbag, a hat, a__haramaki__, a lap blanket, a coaster, a stuffed animal, mittens, and finally something that looked like a scrub brush. To top it off, all of them had been knitted with red wool._

"_Just how much do you like the color red?! And just how much stuff is in there, anyway?!" Takao was astounded. _

_Beside him, Midorima was quiet, his expression drawn. He had been rendered speechless._

_Ootsubo appeared to pay no mind to their reactions as he confidently replied, "It was like a chain reaction. I started making knickknacks in order to use up the rest of the knitting wool. But I ran out of wool before I finished making them, so I bought more wool, but then I had extra again. In the meantime, they just kind of multiplied."_

"_Oh, is that so…" Takao calmly crossed his arms and stared at Ootsubo's hands._

_The entire team depended on those hands to defend the goal during games—but to think that those hands could __knit__, as well…_

"_Pfft!" Takao hurriedly ducked his head and clamped both hands over his mouth, desperately trying to suppress the laughter welling up inside him._

"_What's wrong, Takao?"_

"_It's n-n-n-n-nothing…!"_

_Ootsubo raised one eyebrow at Takao, whose shoulders were shaking slightly, but he didn't press the issue, "Midorima, I don't know if one of these is your lucky item or not, but you can go ahead and use them."_

_Then he left to return to his own classroom._

_After seeing Ootsubo on his way, Midorima silently wrapped the scarf around his neck, "…it's hot."_

_Even at the beginning of autumn, the summer heat still lingered. The scarf was long enough to loop three times around Midorima's neck with plenty to spare, by which point the insulating power of the scarf was absolutely stifling him. The sight was enough to make Takao laugh uncontrollably until he was on the verge of hyperventilating._

* * *

_At lunchtime, Miyaji Kiyoshi and Kimura Shinsuke dropped by Midorima and Takao's classroom._

"_Hey, Midorima. We heard you almost died," Miyaji said, sounding delighted._

_Midorima coolly replied, "I'm alive, as you can see."_

"_It was a pretty close call, though," Takao corrected with a smirk as he stood leaning against the doorframe._

_Midorima glared sidelong at him. It was a look that clearly said, "You should have kept your mouth shut."_

_However, Takao wasn't one to be intimidated by such things. When the shaven-headed Kimura asked, "So, what happened?"_

_Takao spilled all the details, "He borrowed a red scarf from the captain. And Shin-chan being Shin-chan, he wore it even during our third-period gym class."_

_They played soccer in gym class. The sport might be different, but it was an easy class for Midorima and Takao, whose motor skills had been honed playing basketball. With the red scarf trailing behind him, Midorima dribbled the ball down the field, dodged the players of the opposing team, and went to score a goal. However—_

"_One of the guys on the other team stepped on the scarf, and Shin-chan went crashing to the ground. What's more, since the scarf was wrapped really tightly around his neck, he started choking to death…"_

"_Serves you right! I mean, that must have been awful, Midorima!"_

_In response to Miyaji's wholly insincere sentiment, Midorima's features twisted into a sour expression._

"_Hey, now, don't make that face. We brought some red items with us, too," Kimura presented the paper bag he held in his hand._

"_What is it?" Midorima scrutinized the paper bag with the look of a king examining tribute offered up to him by one of his retainers._

"_They're goods from my family's store! Red paprika, a red tomato, a red apple, and a red strawberry! They look delicious, am I right?!" Kimura answered proudly._

_Takao asked, "What do you mean, a 'red strawberry'? They're always red." _

_However, as was to be expected of a greengrocer's son, Kimura announced the following piece of trivia: "They've got white strawberries now, too, mind you."_

"_My old man was in the neighborhood making deliveries, so I had him drop off some stuff. You'd better be grateful!"_

_Midorima silently accepted the paper bag before turning to Miyaji._

_He wore a look that said, "So? What have __you__ brought for me?"_

_Miyaji found that haughty attitude somewhat irksome, but he said, "I brought this," and held out a red t-shirt. It was the one he often wore during practice._

"_You'd better appreciate this," Miyaji said arrogantly, as if to emphasize that he was doing Midorima a favor._

"_No, you can keep it," came Midorima's immediate reply._

"_Whaaat?!"_

"_No matter how badly I might need a lucky item, I don't need a sweaty thing like that."_

"_I washed it, damn it! That should be obvious!"_

"_Do you use fabric softener when you do your laundry?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_I don't accept clothes that haven't been washed with fabric softener."_

"_What a pain! Argh! Ugh, Kimura, lend me your truck! I'm gonna run him over! I'm gonna do it, I swear!"_

_Despite the racket Miyaji was making, there was no one around to back him up. Kimura said, "Just take it for now," and forced Midorima to accept the t-shirt. _

_By the time the two senpai had gone on their way, lunchtime was drawing to an end._

_After returning to his seat, Takao wiped away tears from the corners of his eyes, "Man, that was hilarious. Shin-chan, I think I'm going to die laughing before you get a chance to kick the bucket."_

"_Hnn. The sooner you die, the sooner I get some peace and quiet."_

"_Shin-chan, that's harsh!"_

_Midorima countered Takao's sullen pout by saying, "I'm just being honest," before withdrawing his __bentou__ box from his school bag. Unless he ate quickly, afternoon classes would start before he could finish his meal. Asking a growing high school boy to miss lunch was the same as sending a traveler into the desert without any water._

"…_hm?"_

"_What's the matter, Shin-chan?" Takao, who had taken out his own __bentou__ and picked up his chopsticks, looked at Midorima. Since Takao had eaten an early lunch mid-morning, only about half of his lunch remained. Even if he ate at a normal pace, he would easily be able to finish before the end of their break._

_On the other hand, since Midorima made a rule of never eating early, he would need to eat his lunch with considerable speed._

_Nevertheless, Midorima had only gotten as far as untying the handkerchief wrapped around his __bentou__ box._

"_Aren't you gonna eat?" Takao inquired curiously. _

_Midorima was staring fixedly at his __bentou__, "Something seems…__different__ about it…"_

_There was an uncharacteristic hesitancy to his manner of speaking that made Takao stop and look at Midorima's __bentou__._

_It was Midorima's usual rectangular __bentou__ box, wrapped in the same handkerchief it was every day._

"_Is it just my imagination…?" Midorima still seemed unsatisfied with this explanation, but his appetite apparently won out, as he quickly untied the handkerchief._

_And at that moment, Midorima discovered the source of his uneasiness._

"_Bwahahahahahaha!" Takao burst into laughter. _

_Midorima fought back a headache, "So that's why it felt different…"_

_Midorima stared reproachfully at the item that was settled on the handkerchief. A Japanese dictionary, still in its case, was enshrined atop the handkerchief._

_No matter how many times he blinked, the dictionary wasn't going to suddenly change into a __bentou__ box._

_Apparently, amid the commotion caused by the thieving cat that morning, Midorima's mother had packed the dictionary by mistake._

_As if to rouse Midorima from where he sat, hanging his head, the chime that signaled the end of the break echoed through the halls._

* * *

_After that, other members of the basketball club dropped by one after another to deliver red items to Midorima. Originally, Takao had only sent a text to Ootsubo, Miyaji, and Kimura, but it seemed that the three of them had then taken the initiative and forwarded that text to the rest of the club members._

_The items they brought were incredibly varied._

_In addition to stationery such as a compass, a ruler, and an eraser, they also received items that made them wonder why someone would bring those items to school, including a water gun, a red rose, a __tengu __mask, and a string of prayer beads. Among the people who delivered items, there was even someone who had misunderstood the situation and brought baby diapers with him. Midorima's bad mood worsened by leaps and bounds, while Takao laughed so hard that he got a stomachache._

_However, no matter what items people brought, Midorima's unluckiness did not abate. Naturally, he had already received a scolding from the teacher. Rather, by that point, the teacher was essentially scolding the heap of red items overflowing from Midorima's school bag and surrounding him while he sat through the lecture._

"_Shin-chan, you made it!" after school, Takao patted Midorima on the shoulder as the latter sat slumped over his desk, exhausted._

"_When you say it with a grin like that, it just makes me angry…" Midorima glared at him from behind his glasses. _

_Takao smiled and said, "I mean, rather than fretting about it, it's better to laugh it off, yeah?"_

"_Hmph…" Midorima grunted and stood up, "I'm going home."_

_As Midorima started to pack up to head home, Takao asked, "What about practice?"_

"_I'm not going. Nothing good is going to happen on a day like today. It would be problematic if I were to practice and develop some kind of bad habit that affects my form."_

"_Good point. Okay, I'll head home with you."_

"_What did you say?" Midorima stopped packing up and stared at Takao._

"_There's no reason for you to be absent from practice, too."_

"_Yeah, that's true, I guess. But, Shin-chan, it seems like it'd be kinda dangerous to leave you alone today," while he spoke, Takao started packing up his things, as well, but he stopped when he realized that Midorima had frozen in place, silent._

"_What is it? What's wrong?"_

"…_it feels strange to have you worrying about me," Midorima's expression was both angry and sulky. _

_Takao looked at him in astonishment, "Of course I'm worried. What am I supposed to do if you just go and die before the Winter Cup?"_

"…" _Midorima fell silent once more, and he fiddled with his glasses as if he were trying to hide something._

_Upon seeing this, a light bulb went off in Takao's head as he was struck by a sudden realization._

_So it was on purpose that he smiled a broad, evil grin and said, "Well, that's my excuse. I might actually just want to see a few more of Shin-chan's amusing episodes, though."_

"…_hmph, I figured as much," with that, Midorima finally resumed packing up to go home._

_Good grief__, Takao thought to himself. __What, your brain short circuits when you get embarrassed? When are you gonna learn to be honest with yourself?_

_It seemed that being worried about by his teammates made Midorima feel a bit uncomfortable._

_After collecting red items from his teammates throughout the day, he had finally realized that they had gone to such lengths because they were "worried about him"—but now he was perplexed and unsure how to respond._

_Geez, our ace is such a handful._

_A smile quirked at the corners of Takao's mouth, but he was careful to keep this expression hidden from Midorima while he sent a text to Ootsubo to let him know they would be absent from club activities._

* * *

_Even after they left school, bad luck continued to target Midorima._

_He fell down in the street five times. He collided with another person four times one of those times, he bumped into someone making deliveries for a soba shop, and—sure enough—he ended up wearing a bowl of soba on his head. He was barked at by a dog four times. He was almost run over by a car twice. He was splashed by someone watering a garden. He brushed his hand against a freshly painted wall. At a vending machine, he pressed the button for "Oshiruko", but the machine dispensed a can of hot tomato juice instead._

"_It's actually kind of clever the way the bad luck's finding ways to keep coming, don't ya think?" Takao said thoughtfully as he walked beside Midorima down the sidewalk in the shopping district._

"…_as a matter of fact, I don't think so at all," Midorima's expression was gloomy as he shifted his grip on the shoulder strap of his sports bag._

_There were no longer any red items inside the bag. For the time being, they had left all of the items at school, since it was clear that today's lucky item was not among the various items they had gathered throughout the day._

"_We managed to collect quite a few red items, didn't we? I wonder how many there were," Takao muttered._

_In response, Midorima pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Ten pieces of stationery, nine handmade objects, three articles of clothing, five foodstuffs, twelve everyday items, two ornaments, six toys, and three plants. That's fifty in all."_

"…_whoa, when did you categorize all that?"_

"_Precision is required in order to accurately comprehend one's situation."_

"_Oh, yeah? But, you know, we didn't manage to find the right item, even with all that stuff. I wonder what it could be."_

"_Hnn. We'll just have to keep looking until we find it."_

"_Are we actually gonna be able to find it…?" Takao breathed a sigh._

_At that moment, he heard a faint shriek from somewhere nearby. It was the voice of a young girl—one who sounded incredibly distraught._

_Takao spun around, searching the vicinity for the source of the voice._

"_What's wrong?" Midorima inquired warily._

"_Did you hear something just now? It sounded like somebody shouting."_

"_Shouting? No, I didn't. I can hardly hear anything except the racket from the construction going on over there," Midorima pointed to the neighboring construction site._

_It appeared that a new building was being constructed. The site was surrounded by a guard wall and sheeting, and the sounds of rebar being welded and material being hammered continued without interruption._

"_No, it was a different kind of sound. It was kinda, you know…ah," Takao turned around and saw what he had been looking for._

_Next to one of the trees planted along the sidewalk stood a young girl who looked to be about five years old. She seemed upset. She had tears in her eyes, and she was staring motionlessly toward the top of the tree._

_When Takao lifted his gaze, he saw that a pair of balloons was caught in the tree._

_Perhaps because the strings tied to the balloons had become entangled, the balloons were next to each other, bumping against the tree branches._

"_Aah, I guess the balloons got away from her…"_

"_Balloons?" Midorima tilted his head to one side in confusion at Takao's muttered statement. _

_He followed Takao's gaze and finally understood the situation._

"_Children lose things all the time," Midorima said brusquely. _

_He started walking, but Takao laid a hand on his shoulder and forced him to stop._

"_What is it?"_

"_Shin-chan, go get them for her."_

"…_why do __I__ have to?"_

"_What's wrong with doing a good deed?"_

"_I refuse. I don't like children. Besides, why don't __you__ do it?"_

"_Me, I can't get serious with anybody under the age of fifteen."_

"_You're talking about a completely different kind of 'serious'!"_

"_So, Shin-chan, you have no problem just ignoring a crying girl?"_

_In response to Takao's question, Midorima huffed and answered with silence. Then Takao dealt the finishing blow, "Besides, those balloons are red."_

"_What?"_

_When Midorima looked up once more, he saw that both of the balloons caught in the tree were indeed red._

"_If you're gonna look for every red item under the sun, then why not a balloon?" Takao said with a grin._

_Midorima glared at Takao in annoyance, but he yanked his sports bag off his shoulder and shoved it at him._

_Takao gleefully accepted the bag and rushed over to the girl. He crouched down to her eye level and started talking to her about something. As she listened to Takao speak, little by little, the girl's expression became colored with surprise._

_When Takao pointed to Midorima, the little girl looked at him with eyes brimming with astonishment and hope._

_Midorima turned away, feeling uncomfortable, and readjusted his glasses._

_Not a single thing has gone right today__, Midorima thought with a scowl._

_Takao stood up and moved off to one side with the girl, so as not to obstruct Midorima's jump. With that, all the preparations were in order. There was no reason to wait any longer._

"_Honestly…"_

_Midorima exhaled softly and flexed his ankles. He was wearing the everyday shoes he wore to commute to and from school, but he thought he would be able to jump high enough to retrieve the balloons. The bigger problem was finding the will to do it._

"_Nothing has gone right today…," Midorima muttered, his voice tinged with resignation. He started running._

_Just as if he were doing a layup, he jumped two steps before reaching the tree. He kicked off the ground with his dominant foot and jumped as high as he could. With his outstretched hand, he seized the strings tied to the balloons. And then, just at that moment—_

_Kaboom!_

_A deafening crash resounded behind him. A scream immediately followed._

"_?!" after landing back on the ground, Midorima frantically spun around—and could not believe his eyes._

_The strip of sidewalk from which Midorima had jumped had now vanished. Well, that wasn't entirely accurate._

_Some of the materials from the construction site had collided with the guard wall and caused it to collapse. The sidewalk was completely hidden from view._

"_Wha…"Midorima felt his throat go dry._

_Just a few seconds ago, he had been standing in that exact spot. If he had not started running when he did, he would have been crushed beneath the wall as it fell._

_Midorima stared unblinkingly at that spot._

_Takao was also staring at the site of the accident, his eyes wide as saucers._

"_Onii-chan?"_

_Something warm touched Midorima's hand. As a result, he snapped out of his reverie. The little girl's hand was on his. Against the warmth of her hand, Midorima's hand felt chilled to the bone._

"_Um, the balloons…"_

_She was staring eagerly at the balloons. It seemed that she considered them to be a more pressing issue than the accident._

"_Oh, yeah…" Midorima held out the balloons to her, "Don't let go this time."_

"_I won't! Thank you!" her face lit up with a smile, and she accepted the balloons._

"_Thank goodness! See, these balloons are my lucky item today, so I have to have them no matter what."_

"_I see. …'lucky item'?" Midorima did a double take. With those words, Takao saw all the pieces fall into place._

_Takao crouched down to the girl's eye level. "Hey, listen… By 'lucky item', do you mean the one from the 'Oha Asa' horoscopes?" he asked tentatively._

"_That's right! Onii-chan, you sure know your stuff!"_

"…_and is your zodiac sign…Cancer?"_

"_Yep! Thanks so much, onii-chan! I'll give you this as a present!" the girl offered one of her two balloons to Midorima, who accepted it without complaint. The girl smiled sweetly in satisfaction and hurried on her way. As she ran, the red balloon bobbed along behind her._

_Together, Midorima and Takao turned to face the site of the accident. Fortunately, it seemed no one had been injured, but the area was still in a state of chaos. They could hear patrol car sirens in the distance._

"_Hey, Shin-chan…" with an unsettled, weary expression, Takao rose to his feet and stood beside Midorima, "Good thing you didn't die, huh? …and 'Oha Asa'… I mean, that's no joke…"_

_Midorima nodded. As if to admonish himself, he murmured, "This is why I can never afford to miss 'Oha Asa'."_

* * *

"Pfftt!" I covered my mouth up with my hand to try and suppress my laughter in between Shin-chan's story. However, I couldn't help it anymore. I burst out laughing.

"Miho! Believe it or not, it's not funny!" Midorima glared at me while I kept laughing.

"Ahahaha! Ahh, my stomach hurts. I think I'm crying! Hahaha," I laughed while hugging my stomach.

"Stop laughing! You're enjoying my pain?!" Midorima grabbed my shoulders while I kept smiling.

"S-Sorry...I-It's just that...ahahahahah—," I started laughing again when suddenly, something soft pressed against my lips.

I widened my eyes and realized that Shin-chan was kissing me. Forgetting the entire story, my mind went blank as my hands automatically reached for my boyfriend's head—my fingers entangled themselves into his green, soft hair.

"S-Shin-chan...!" I gasped once he broke the kiss.

There was a light flush on his cheeks, however he kept a straight face as he told me, "That's to shut you up, you heartless girl."

With that, his lips dived in for another kiss. His strong arms pinned me against the back of the bench and the armrest on the side.

"Ah," I gasped when I felt his tongue slightly poking against my lips. Using the opening of my mouth when I gasped, Midorima slid his tongue into my mouth.

My fingers tightly gripped his hair as the kiss turned more passionate. His tongue explored my mouth and the feeling was like shooting up into the sky like fireworks. The hands of time froze in place as our lips meshed together. I could feel his heart beating hard and fast against my chest. It was a kiss so passionate and yet so innocent. I was determined to grasp this memory.

If he would kiss me like this every time I mad him mad, I would insult or laugh at him everyday.

Slowly, he pulled back and we both caught our breaths. I gently pressed my forehead against his.

"S-Shin-chan...did a near death experience suddenly make you bolder?" I asked nervously while gently curling my lips up into a smile.

"Shut up, Miho. I don't want to be teased by someone whose face is as red as a tomato," Midorima released me and went back to a position of facing away from me.

I heard his words and felt my cheeks heat up even more, "Y-You're blushing too!"

"I am not!" Midorima shouted while securing the string of the helium balloon that was tied to his wrist.

I smiled gently. He says that but I knew how hard his heart was beating.

"Shin-chan, I'm glad you didn't die," I told the green haired boy before me.

He paused for a while before replying, "The feeling is mutual."

And with the preliminaries of the Winter Cup just around the corner, I shared my last sweet experience with Shin-chan until the fierce battle between different schools start. In a matter of days, I would have to crush this sweet, cute, cruel, and evil tsundere of a boyfriend of mine.

To the Winter Cup!

* * *

**A/N: **Disclaimer - I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or any of the characters. **I also do not own any of the writing that is italicized in this chapter. This is a translation from the second chapter of Kuroko no Basuke Replace II. The translation belongs to AnimeMangaDaisuki, which can be found at her tumblr blog.**

^^ For any of you who are curious as to where that huge hilarious story of Shin-chan came from. Anyways, I hope I kept Shin-chan's personality in tact in the last part there. I added the story in because I really wanted to write about how Miho would react to the story if she were there.

The next chapter would mostly be centred around some of the things concerning Miho's father and the academics abuse. Also, I've been thinking about the next few chapters and I've been considering adding in another OC as Kise's girlfriend. This is mostly because of the match against Haizaki. For those of you that have read the manga, Haizaki told Kise that he stole his woman and left him kneeling on the ground. I thought it would've been perfect if he had a girlfriend that truly loved him to shout out at that moment and cheer him on.

Well, that's just my opinion. I want to hear what you guys think about this new OC. If you guys think that it would be a good idea, I'll probably make a form so that you guys and provide me with the OC. ^_^

Well, once again, thank you all so, so much for faving, following, and reviewing the story! I love you all so much! A great thanks to **Anya Ishikawa, jdawgjpn, Guest, Devilish-S, **and** hlflores **for the lovely and encouraging reviews! I really hope that more people will come to enjoy this story! Once again, if you have any suggestions on the new OC or anything related to the story, feel free to PM me or review. I'll be really happy and I'll definitely take those things into consideration!

Thank you all! Please read and review! I love you all so much!

(Ah geez, I just noticed how long this chapter was... -_-)

~Yuvi


	5. 开始比赛！－ Start The Match！

**Through the Hoop**

**Chapter 5： __****开始比赛！－ Start The Match！**

"The ranks and marks for the unit finals are posted on the bulletin board outside your homerooms. Please check whenever you have time. Alright, class dismissed," the homeroom teacher announced and I sluggishly dragged my feet to the bulletin board.

I had spent too much time preparing the team for the preliminaries coming up that I winged my studies on that test. If I didn't place first...

"Miho-chan! You're first again. Oh, but surprisingly you missed one question..." Hanako patted my back.

My eyes widened as I saw the results. I was one point off from getting second. Sighing, I let out a breath of relief.

"Wahh, so amazing. Nanase-chan got first again."

"I'm so envious! How do you study, Nanase?"

I gave a weak smile, "I just constantly review things, that's all."

"So cool! Both the manager of the basketball team and an academic ace!"

I flashed them a forced smile. They didn't know about my father. If they did, they wouldn't be envious at all.

* * *

"Che, Nanase got first again?" Kagami grumbled as he scored a shot.

Kuroko and Kagami were in the same class and I was in another class.

I forced a smile, "Y-Yeah. It's only by one point, though. Anyways, enough about my grades! Let's practice!"

I didn't want to be burdened by my academics even when I was enjoying basketball with the Seirin team. I knew it was selfish, yet I really wanted to enjoy this time with them...

* * *

The first thing my father asked about was the unit test results, "What was your score, huh? What did you place in?"

"Father, I placed in first. I hope this is able to meet your expectations," I bowed my head to my father at dinnertime.

"Huh?! Just _first_? What about your score? Did you get a hundred?" he slammed his fist down on the table.

I bit my lip, "N-Ninety eight."

The room was silent for a while. My mother didn't say anything and my father looked outraged.

"Are you kidding me?! I sent you to the States just for you to achieve a _ninety eight_?! You are the Nanase family's only daughter! Even if you think I'm strict, this is all for _your_ future! You understand?!" after shouting at me, he grinded his fist against my head. It hurt.

"Do you _understand?!_" my father repeated once more.

"Y-Yes, sir!" I bowed again, holding back my tears.

"I don't think you do! Come here and stand," he motioned in front of him.

I slowly walked over.

"Miho. Girls can't do anything if they have low grades. You must achieve _excellence_ in order to be successful. I'm going to ask you politely. Quit the basketball club."

My eyes widened. What was he saying? Quitting the basketball club...? Doesn't he understand that the basketball club was my only freedom—my only joy in life?! Grades this, academics that. What the hell. Why can't I just choose what I want to do?! Does two percent have any contribution in being successful?!

"No," I whispered.

_Slap._

"What did you say?!" my father's hand came in direct contact with my face.

I close my eyes before opening them and glaring at my father, "You can hit me all you want! I'm not quitting the basketball team!"

_Slap. Slap._

"You. Y-You brat! You are _my_ daughter! You will do as _I_ say! Do you _want_ to go back to America?!"

"You can't make me! I'll burn my passport! You can slap me, hit me, kill me—do what you want! I'm not quitting the basketball team! T-They're all I have!" I shouted back at my father for the first time in my life.

"I'm just trying to help you have a successful future! What part of my hardwork don't you understand!?"

_Slap. Slap. Slap._

"Successful future my ass! You're just taking away all my freedom! It's not like two marks actually affect anything at all! Why can't I do what I want like everybody else?! Why is it always grades, ranks, and more grades? Why? Tell me why!" I spilled out my tears and pierced my glare into my father's eyes.

_Slap. Hit._

"Y-You! How _dare_ you say my hard work is useless?! How dare you swear in front of your father, the one who carefully raised you! Apologize now!"

"No...no, no, _no_! I won't! I won't do as you say anymore! I won't live here anymore! I hate you! I hate both you and mother who don't even consider my feelings! Father, you are an asshole!" glaring at the horrid man in front of me, I grabbed a jacket and sprinted out the door.

* * *

The rain poured outside and I couldn't make out where I was going. However, I didn't care at all. My tears spilt from my eyes as I ran far away from that place of hell.

After running out of breath, I collapse beside what used to be a water fountain.

"Damn it! What do you know about me?!" I shouted up into the sky.

Finally realizing what had happened, I broke down into sobs as the rain fell upon and washed all my tears away.

"Miho?" a familiar voice asked.

I stared up and saw Aomine looking at me with a worried gaze, "D-D-Dai-chan..." I whispered between sobs.

"Miho! Damn it, what happened?!" he carefully took a hold of my shoulders.

My head drooped down as I continued crying.

"Come on, let's go somewhere dry. You're gonna catch a cold," he tried to get me to stand up, however I remained motionless.

"Dai-chan!" I flung myself into his chest and wept. My fingers clutched the fabric of his shirt and I buried my face into his chest.

His arms wrapped around my smaller figure as he silently let me cry. His hands gently patted my back.

After weeping for a bit, I slowly released Aomine and his arms left my body.

"Miho...what happened?" he asked with a serious tone.

Through my hiccups and tears I managed a small smile, "I-I'm sorry. I'm fine now. Really."

"Don't 'I'm fine' me!" he shouted and grabbed my shoulders, "You are _not_ fine!"

Hearing his shout, I bit my lip as tears started pouring down again. I couldn't stop them. Not at all.

Not sure what to do, Aomine just kneeled there, beside me, softly patting my back.

* * *

"Dai-chan, thank you..." I muttered.

We had taken shelter under a small roof built in the park to hide from the sun or rain. Dai-chan lent me his sweater again.

"I thought you'd be hating on me right now, not being grateful," Aomine raised an eyebrow at my words of gratitude.

I put on a weak smile, "Well...when I needed someone the most, you suddenly appeared. I was so relieved after I saw you."

"I see," he looked at the raining sky and sighed, "I was on a basketball court when it suddenly started raining. I ran and then saw you."

"Ah..." I whispered, "It's my father..."

Aomine turned to me, "Hmm?"

I bit my lip and then started telling Aomine about the fight between my father and I and also about why I left for America.

After finishing my story, Aomine had a look of disinterest on his face. Instead, he passed me the basketball that was sitting beside him.

"H-Huh?" I gasped as I caught the round ball.

"C'mon, let's play," with that, he walked back out into the rain and towards somewhere, a basketball court probably.

After jogging along to his face paced steps, we arrived at a small street basketball court.

"W-Wait! Dai-chan! I have no idea how to—," I breathed.

"Just dribble the ball and try to score," he ordered and went into a guarding position.

I bit my lip and did as he said. Focusing all my attention on the ball, I started dribbling and tried to get past Aomine. However, his speed was amazing. Soon, he snatched the ball from my hands and went for a dunk.

Determined to at least score once, I tried again, however the result was the same.

"Ahh! Dai-chan, don't look down on me with that smirk of yours! I'll definitely get a shot in!" I shouted with determination.

The game went on nonetheless with the same outcome every time. I swear Aomine already got fifty or so baskets in.

The rain was washing all the sweat away, however I was still tired. Gasping with the ball, I decided to try to do something that Shin-chan tried to teach me before.

Raising the ball up into position, I concentrated on the hoop and then flung the ball upwards.

"Hey, w—," Aomine was surprised at my sudden action as he saw the ball soar through the air.

It was an okay shot. Sure it didn't land perfectly in the hoop like Midorima's did; however, it still made it.

My eyes widened and I cheered, "Yay! I scored against Dai-chan!"

"You little," Aomine came over and ruffled my hair. His face held a smile and I smiled brightly back.

"You finally smiled," Aomine laughed and pinched my cheek.

"Dai-chan, thank you so much," I smiled warmly at the boy in front of me.

"You should get back home now," Aomine looked at me with a serious expression.

I bit my lip gently again, "I..."

"It'll be fine. Nobody wouldn't reconsider their actions after being called an asshole," Aomine burst out laughing, "I didn't think the innocent and polite Miho could actually swear."

"Ah!" I blushed and covered my mouth as he laughed.

In the end, he walked me home. When I entered the house, everything was silent. Happy that my father wasn't there to greet me, I crept up the staircase and changed my clothes in my room.

Somehow, talking with Aomine made me think that everything was going to be okay one way or another. Right now, I should be focusing on the upcoming match against Josei.

* * *

"Tai-chan...are you okay? You have huge bags under your eyes and your eyes are red..." I mumbled while staring at the sleep-deprived boy before me.

"I'm fine! I was so excited that I couldn't sleep," Kagami scratched his head and dribbled the ball with his left hand.

It seems that he has gotten better using his left hand. That's very good.

"What's with that smile, Kiyoshi, you're grossing me out!" Hyuga winced from seeing Kiyoshi.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. Don't bother," Kiyoshi laughed, "Ah, Nanase-chan. You're wearing glasses."

"Oh!" I laughed and pushed my glasses up, "Yeah, I wear them so I can observe better during a match. Contacts are still pretty troublesome."

"I see," Kiyoshi nodded.

At this moment, Riko walked forward, "Let's get going! Is everyone here?"

"Um...one, two...One person is still..." I muttered, counting the heads of the players.

"Ah! Kuroko!" Koga exclaimed.

Just like that, Kuroko appeared out of nowhere, "I'm here."

"I knew it!" everyone exclaimed.

"I was here from the start," Kuroko blankly stated.

"This time, it's definitely a lie! You came at the last minute didn't you?!" Kagami pointed an accusing finger at the small boy.

"Silence?!" Kiyoshi muttered.

Hyuga sighed and turned, "Tsk, everyone's here right? Let's go!"

"We aren't missing anything right?"

Riko turned and put on a confident smile, "What are you talking about? We are going to take that back right now!"

With that, we set off.

* * *

"Everyone's ready? I'll once again confirm what we have to do during the Winter Cup preliminary. With today's matches, it will be reduced to four schools. The winning four schools will go into a league match, and the top two schools can participate in the Winter Cup. There are eight schools participating in the preliminary. Among these, only two schools can earn the right to participate in the Winter Cup as Tokyo representatives. Miho, do you have anything else to add?" Riko finished her explanation.

"The eight schools participating in the preliminaries are the top eight schools from the Interhigh preliminaries. In other words, they are all schools that achieved some success during the summer. There are only a few matches, however all the battles will be against tough opponents," I added on to Riko.

I thought for a while before speaking again, "This year's Winter Cup is some memorial anniversary tournament. Thus, the winner and the runner up of the Interhigh are automatically accepted. To balance them out, there'll be more schools participating. In short, two of the Generation of Miracles, Aomine Daiki, the ace and Akashi Seijuro, the captain, are already set to participate."

"Adding on to that, because of last week's preliminary, Kise Ryota's team Kaijou and Murasakibara Atsushi's team Yosen are already set for the normal bracket. Our fist opponent today is in the sixth place, Josei High! We must win!" Riko made the final words and the entire Seirin team cheered loudly.

"Yeah!"

* * *

"At this time, Winter Cup Regional Preliminary, the fourth match of the best of four determination battle, Seirin High School versus Josei High School will commence! Salute!"

"Let's have a clean match!"

With that, the first round of the preliminaries began. However a little incident occurred.

I decided to text Midorima before the match started.

"_Good luck. We'll see you in the final's league. ~Nanase Miho"_

Smiling, I closed my phone only to immediately receive another text.

_"If Seirin loses, I'll dump you. ~Midorima Shintaro"_

_ "Shin-chan's just fooling around, he'll never dump you, Miho-chan~! ~Midorima Shintaro"_

My eyebrow twitched as I read the first text over and over again before madly spamming my phone with another text.

_"Forget it. We'll crush you in the final's league! D: ~Nanase Miho"  
_ I shut my phone and turned my eyes forward with a new fury in them.

At the same time, a boy on the other team bellowed, "You're so mean captain...the opponent's manager is cute but what the heck is that...Woman, you said the opponent's coach was a woman...Can't she be more bo-ring?! My tension ain't going up at all! She has zero sexiness! Bring back my heart beat!"

With both Riko's dark aura and my fury in my eyes, the boys on the team were shaking.

Together, Riko and I made a motion with our hands, "Go. Slaughter. Them!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"All right everyone, we've got another reason we can't lose. If we lose, we're the ones getting slaughtered..." Hyuga started sweating massively.

"Y-Yeah...I've never seen Nanase so evil looking either. I wonder what happened to _her._.." Kagami shook with fright.

While the teams were jumping for the ball, I let out a loud 'hmph' as I sat down on the bench beside the juniors and Riko. Whenever I remembered that text, I wanted to give a nice punch to that tsundere face of his. If they lose...I swear...

* * *

"_Josei's selling point is their powerful inside. I've done a bit of research on their center, Daisuke Narumi. He should be Josei's trump card for this match. Because we didn't have Kiyoshi in the previous matches, Josei would expect our inside to be extremely weak. Thus, Kiyoshi-senpai, we will be counting on you to protect the goal," I told the team before the match._

"_That makes sense," Hyuga stated. _

"_Leave it to me~!" Kiyoshi grinned happily._

_Smiling, I moved onto my next point, "Tai-chan, from my predictions, Josei will be strongly double teaming you. From the previous matches, you have proved to be Seirin's biggest trump card and they will try to stop you at all costs. Remain cool headed and don't foul."_

"_Che, alright," Kagami scowled._

* * *

Well, I certainly warned him...Seirin was losing 13-5 because of the double team pressure on Kagami.

"Keep a cool head and don't mess up the pace," I prayed gently.

"It should turn out fine, Miho. Don't underestimate the boys," Riko stated with her eyes on the match. However, I could see the sweat beads forming on her neck as well.

"You're holding it for too long! Retreat for now!" Izuki shouted at Kagami.

"I kno—," at this moment, one of the opposing players hit the ball out of Kagami's hand.

"White ball!"

"Shit!" Kagami cursed.

"Kagami-kun, please calm down!" Kuroko pleaded.

"I'm perfectly calm!"

Ah geez, that hotheaded...If this keeps up, our pace is going to be completely ruined...

"Kagami! Your face is scary!" Kiyoshi patted Kagami not-so-gently on the head, "Let's go with more ea-se!"

This caused a bickering between the two, which was later on stopped by Izuki, "Anyway, what should we do? They are rougher than we expected. We used Kuroko numerous times but they're stopping us without a foul."

Hyuga started complaining at Kiyoshi too, "Also, what do you mean 'with more ease'? You're completely useless too! Come on!"

"Nah...It's been too long. My match instinct is..." Kiyoshi started.

"Hey!"

"But, well it should be fine by now. Hand me some balls. The match just started, so let's go have fu~n!" Kiyoshi grinned again.

At this, Riko grinned to me, "The real match starts now. Pay close attention to Teppei, Miho. You'll see something you haven't seen from the practices."

I looked back at the match and widened my eyes. Kiyoshi's moves were completely unpredictable. What seemed like a hook shot was actually changed to a pass at the last split second.

"This is..." I widened my eyes, "So he's a center that possesses the pass sense of a point guard...Even though he's a center, he can pass as well as dribble and shoot. The defense has to move by predicting those moves. However, by holding the basketball like a handball with his huge hands, he can change his choices at the timing normal players would release the ball..."

"Yes," Riko curved her lips up into a cunning smile, "Rather than being unpredictable, it's meaningless to predict. He has the right to change his hands after looking at others—the right of postponement."

When the first year rookie, Narumi when to smash the ball into the net, I started smiling as well, "From looking at his Kiyoshi-senpai's actively hand out passes, there should be people who assume he's just a skill oriented center. However, as a center, he's plainly strong!"

With Kiyoshi deflecting the ball from the opposing team's hands, Te-chan successfully made a pass to Kagami. Kagami jumped for the hoop.

"So high...!" people around us gasped at the power of Kagami's jump.

However, it was like an anticlimactic ending to a fairytale. Kagami's head hit the ring of the hoop while jumping.

"Too high...!" I inwardly facepalmed and everyone else had expressions of disbelief. Really...that guy...!

With that, the first quarter was over, "Awesome, Seirin!"

"They're completely different from the summer! Unbelievable!"

Cheers for Seirin resonated everywhere. I stared in worry at Kagami, who was being dragged carelessly by Kuroko.

"Te-chan's really amazing..." I muttered as I watched the match.

"Yeah...wait a second, _Te-chan_?! Miho-chan, what's with your strange nicknames! And isn't that Kuroko's nickname?!" Riko exclaimed.

"Oh yeah...hm, well I guess Ki-chan's going to have to do. I call the people that I admire by a nickname...It's kind of like Ryo-chan's way of adding 'cchi' to the end of the names of the people that he admires," I laughed softly.

Riko suddenly looked very happy, "M-Miho-chan admires me?"

Seeing this, I smile, "Yup! I really admire Ri-chan!"

With that, we both turned out eyes back to the match. Kiyoshi kept getting all the rebounds.

"Rebound...If there's a strong center, you can get the rebound. If you can get the rebound, the teammates can shoot without hesitation. As a result, it goes in well," I muttered, while taking notes in my notebook.

I smiled before observing Kagami, "Ah...thanks to the persistent double-team preventing him from doing anything useful, Tai-chan's frustration has reached it's limits!"

"He's way too hotheaded...!" Riko let out a loud sigh.

I laughed it off a bit until I saw Kuroko fling one of his wrist warmers on Kagami's face. Oh god...this can't be good...

"Wha...Kuroko, you bastard! What the hell was that?!"

"Get over it already."

"Aah?!"

"Thanks to you drawing the opponent's defense, it's easier for us to attack. As a result, we're leading the match. There's no reason to be grumpy," Kuroko consoled Kagami.

"Urgh..."

"Also, can you see that?" Kuroko pointed to the observation seats. There stood two of Aomine's teammates that I had somewhat researched.

"Touou's...!"

"In short, the contents of today's match should be passed on to Aomine-kun. So, once you head's cooled down, make a declaration of war, please," Kuroko told Kagami calmly. I always get amazing by that persuasion skill of Te-chan's...

"That's not something you do when you're calm. However, leave it to me. I'll slam it down!" Kagami pumped up his fist and a new fire raged around him.

"They're a pretty nice duo," Ki-chan remarked.

Izuki grinned, "Aww, so cute! Wait, they're not a couple!"

"...But Kuroko, was it necessary to mention Touou? He's about to explode!" Hyuga sweat dropped at the raging Kagami before him.

Kuroko deadpanned, "...Maybe you're right..."

Sighing, the match started again. Immediately, there was a double team on Kagami. However there was something different of them. It was like something sucked the spirit out of them. Taking advantage of this, Kagami broke through the defense, went for a lane up and successfully dunked the ball.

"Beautiful..." I muttered.

"Uh, you're speaking too early, Miho," Riko pointed back at the court.

I saw the scene and let out a big sigh. Kagami lost his balance and tumbled down onto the floor, which signaled the end of the match.

"W-Well...the play _before_ that was beautiful. I feel that Tai-chan is purposely bringing some anticlimactic endings today..." I grimaced.

"Well, whatever! We won, Miho!" Riko and I both stood up, grinning ear to ear.

"With 108 to 61, Seirin High School wins! Thanks for the match!"

"Shutoko High School advances to the Finals League!"

"Senshinkan High School advances to the Finals League!"

And with Seirin's victory as a start, the remaining matches that began simultaneously in various courts also came to an end. With that, the four participating schools for the Finals League that will determine the two Tokyo representatives for the Winter Cup have been determined. Seirin, Senshinkan, Shutoku, and Kirisaki Daiichi.

* * *

"Like it or not, there are only three matches left...The Winter Cup preliminaries will be over in an instant..." one of the juniors mumbled as we started walking back after the match.

"It's the opposite! We're _finally_ here," Hyuga stated with a cool look.

"Did you forget already? The only ones that can participate in the preliminaries are the top eight schools that survived in the midst of over three hundred schools from the summer competitions. In other words, the Winter Cup preliminary has already started at the same time as the Interhigh preliminaries," Riko explained.

"Therefore," I chimed up, "the Winter Cup preliminary is a _tremendously_ long qualifier that has been going on since the summer."

"The first opponent for the Finals League is Senshinkan! We lost to them two times already, so we'll have our revenge against them for sure!" Riko shouted with great energy.

"Yeah!"

Smiling amidst the cheers, I was suddenly very glad that I had gone to Seirin.

* * *

A/N: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or any of the characters.

I am actually extremely surprised that I am able to keep up this 'a chapter a day' thing. Haha. I guess it's probably because I have a _huge_ obsession with Kuroko no Basuke right now.

Anyways, once again, I want to thank all the readers and especially the reviewers for everything they do. You may not know it, but I am always very happy to read all of your reviews. They give me motivation and determination to keep writing. Thus, thank you all so much! ^_^

About the Kise OC, it seems that you guys think it's a good idea! I've did some thinking and I decided that the OC will be a kind, sweet and yet cool character. She will go to Kaijou and will probably be introduced in the later chapters. Her age will be the same a Kise's and she will probably become close friends with Miho. She has a little bit of a teasing side to her as well.

If any of you guys want to submit a character, you can use the form below. I'll probably put all your submissions together and create a character.

**Name:**

**Birthday (Month/Date):**

**Appearance (Hair Length and Colour/Height/Eyes/Anything Else):**

**Hobbies:**

Well once again, I thank you all for reading this story and reviewing! I really, really appreciate it! ^_^ I hope you all continue to support this story and I'll do my best to keep writing good chapters! Feel free to tell PM me any grammar or spelling mistakes! Also, feel free to give me any suggestions and improvements to my story! A small word of encouragement would also be great!

Thank you so much and I love you all~!

~Yuvi


	6. 在场上 － On The Court

**Through the Hoop**

**Chapter 6： __****在场上 － On The Court**

Winter Cup preliminary Finals League—day one complete. Seirin, who experienced a dramatic increase in strength due to Ki-chan's return and summer training, successfully avenged their summer loss against Monarch of the West, Seishinkan, and decorated their first match with glory.

Meanwhile, Midorima's team, Shutoku also achieved a complete victory over Kirisaki Daiichi.

The battle over the two spots for Winter Cup qualification opened its curtains with Seirin and Shutoku gaining a one-step lead and—

"Looks like the neighboring Shutoku also won," Hyuga noticed.

I nodded to this statement, "We both have one win each. The winning team will seal its advancement to the Winter Cup and the loser will be greatly distanced from it. It's finally time, huh."

I smiled gently at the cherry blossom notebook in my hands. I guess I'll be going up against Shin-chan tomorrow, huh.

With that, Seirin High School versus Shutoku High School, their second clash has been decided.

* * *

"We don't even have time to celebrate. Tomorrow will be an extremely tough battle, without a doubt," Hyuga sighed as we were walking out of the courts.

"But...! We've got Nanase-chan and Kiyoshi-senpai, and...we're completely different from before!" Fukuda exclaimed.

"We beat them last time too..." Furihata mumbled softly.

"I don't think so," Kuroko interrupted softly.

"Eh?"

"I have a feeling the next match will be even tougher because of that," Kuroko finished with a serious expression on his face.

I laughed gently, "Te-chan's right. Shin-chan wants revenge no matter what. He threatened to dump me if we lost before we went against him."

"What?!" everyone exclaimed at my statement.

"Che. Well it looks like both Miho-chan and Kuroko-kun aren't disillusioned. We won last match by pure luck; In terms of strength, they're much stronger," Riko confirmed what both Kuroko and I were saying.

"But they won't be thinking like that anymore. The opponents who should be looking down on us with authority, are now coming at us with everything they've got," Hyuga added.

"And to add to that, our opponent isn't some average Joe, but Shin-chan, one of the Generation of Miracles. I know from experience that Shin-chan definitely wouldn't want to lose twice to the same opponent. It won't be easy," I smiled weakly at everyone.

"B-But! Nanase-chan, you're his girlfriend right? Wouldn't he want to go easy on you?" Furihata asked shakily.

Alright. I was pretty pissed. Just because I was his girlfriend, there was no way he would put me before his basketball. We even made that promise before we started dating...

I turned around to face the juniors with a death aura, "Eh? Go _easy_? Hahaha! I'm surprised you would think so! We made a promise before we started dating. He said that basketball and winning always comes first and that if I didn't agree to that, there would be no relationship. I wholeheartedly told him that I would do the same."

With my background story of Shin-chan's character, everyone had a dark aura of fright around them.

After a while of silence with a heavy atmosphere around us, Kiyoshi broke the silence, "Sorry everyone, go ahead before me."

"Alright. We'll be waiting," Furihata responded.

I noticed him going and talking to a guy sitting around the corner. He seemed familiar. I must've researched him somewhere...

My curiosity taking the better of me, I slipped out from behind the group and followed Kiyoshi.

"I saw you during the match. You weren't playing against Shutoku on purpose," Kiyoshi told the man.

"Yup, something wrong?"

"I don't care whether it's right or wrong. I just don't like it."

"Fuhahaha! As usual, your goody-two-shoes act is so lame, Kiyoshi. If I try hard and reveal all my cards today, then all three matches will become serious fights, and that will be tiresome. I don't care about the immediate victory. Since in the remaining two, you guys will lose by yourself."

I widened my eyes at this guy's snide remark. He must've been from Kirisaki Daiichi since they played against Shin-chan today. Something about his attitude sent shivers down my back.

"What does that mean?" I heard Kiyoshi's voice again.

"Oops—I said too much. Shutoku's next, right? Please do your best. I'll be cheering! Ahh! Also...Heal your wounds quickly; I'm pretty concerned, you know!"

After the last sentence was said, my suspicions from the previous matches with Senshinkan and Josei were confirmed. Kiyoshi...his—

Running away before either one of them could see me; I thought about the research I would have to do. Not only on Shin-chan's team, but Kirisaki Daiichi.

* * *

After running for a while, I completely deadpanned. This. Wasn't. Possible.

Inwardly facepalming, I wanted to bang my head against a wall. Where the heck was I?!

"Huh? Miho-chan?" a voice called me.

Eh? No way...this was like deja-vu from that day on the streets! Turning away from the wall slowly, my eyebrow twitched unconsciously. Shutoku—the whole team this time.

"You're kidding me, right?" I muttered under my breath.

It didn't matter how much I liked Shin-chan! The last one I wanted to see right now was him!

"It _is_ Miho-chan!" Takao ran over and ruffled up my hair, "Heh, you nervous? We're going up against you guys tomorrow! You're up against Shin-chan~!"

"T-Takao-san...It's a great coincidence to see you here...However, can you please show me the directions to the exit?" I twitched while bowing and asking this.

"_Huh_? Takao-san? Didn't you call me Takkun the last time we met? Miho-chan! Do you not like me anymore?" Takao put on a puppy dog face.

Crap. As we were talking, the whole team started walking towards me.

"Hey...I remember you...You're that girl that came to our practice with Kise Ryota that day...and you..."

"Shut it, both of you. Miho, the exit is straight ahead. You can walk in a straight line, right? I don't want you to miss out some research on us because you were _lost_ in a building. Don't go easy on us tomorrow," Midorima shot me a serious glare of his—he was in battle mode.

I shot him a glare of mine back, "Shin-chan, you're taking me too lightly. I'll be directing those words right back at you. If you go easy on us, _I'll dump you_."

Ah, this radiating confidence of mine right before a match was going to make me proud of myself. To think I totally _owned_ him with those words! Just the thought of it made me giddy for a second there.

With our biting remarks, I turned on my heel and walked towards the exit. However this was not before hearing the exchanges between Shin-chan's team.

"Ohh! She totally _owned_ you, Midorima!"

"Shin-chan! I told you she would be mad from that text! You're so mean to Miho-chan, you know!"

"You bastard! How could you be so heartless to such a pretty girl! Kimura, pass me that pineapple! I'll give him a good whacking, I'll really do it!"

"Midorima! I hope she dumps you real soon!"

Well. It seemed that _some_ people dislike Shin-chan. Smiling to myself, I walked out from the gate. He probably didn't realize it, however those words of his gave me a lot of confidence and fire towards the match tomorrow. Seirin will _definitely_ crush Shutoku.

* * *

"Oh! Here they come! Seirin and Shutoku! The most anticipated match of the Finals League!"

I pushed my glasses up and continuously clicked the back of my mechanical pencil. Shin-chan had just entered the court, and that look on his face was like a hungry beast.

"Kagami-kun..." I heard Kuroko start beside me.

"Ah?"

"Did you see Midorima-kun's face when he entered?" Kuroko asked.

"...Yeah."

It seems like I wasn't the only one thinking about him.

Kiyoshi started speaking as well, "Those of the Generation of Miracles we've fought so far were not only undefeated, but they also possessed some sense of intelligence. There are sayings like 'meaningful defeat' or 'get stronger after a loss', but do you know what they mean?"

I opened my lips to answer Kiyoshi's question, "In nature, for organisms, winning means life and losing is death. Although the example is a bit extreme, humans too possess some of those instincts. People who've learnt the fear of defeat, thirst for victory."

After a moment of silence, Kagami spoke up, "Ha. Thirsting for victory much?"

Hyuga stood up, "The aren't the only ones who have suffered painful losses."

Kagami grinned to this, "Yeah, you're right. Once is enough, for losing. We thirst for victory—."

Kuroko finished Kagami's sentence, "As well."

"Nonetheless, Miho," Hyuga addressed me.

I looked up, "Huh?"

"Will you be okay? That guy's your boyfriend, after all," Kagami looked at me.

I gave them both a smile, "On the court, he's nothing but an enemy. Let's crush them!"

"Yeah!" everyone cheered.

With that, we all walked to the greeting line. Midorima's fierce eyes met mine for a second, before turning to Kagami and exchanging a glaring contest.

Takao walked over to Kuroko and I, "Sorry you guys, but looks like he has no room to care about you this time. This time around, he has completely accepted Kagami as a rival. That's the same for me and my teammates too."

Kuroko remained silent for a while before slowly looking up, "...That makes me happy...but then even more so, we can't lose...!"

I smiled next to Kuroko. He took the words right out of my mouth. Having had my exchange with Shutoku yesterday, I remained silent and focused on remembering to see if there was something I had missed in the notes that I gave the team before the match.

* * *

_"They won't have a single drop of carelessness this time around. I watched your previous match against Shutoku last night. Aside from the notes I handed out, I wanted you to all know that in order to win, taking care of Sh—Midorima-kun is necessary," I stared at everyone who was looking at me._

_ "Midorima-kun's super long three-pointer—from the data I gathered from your last match, there's a limit to how many times it can be used," I stated._

_ "Eh?" some of the juniors perked up at this._

_ "Midorima-kun took the liberty to try and teach me that shot before. Thus, I know first hand how much concentration and force you would need to make that shot. It's an incredible distance. One would need to put all their force into the ball just to get it into the hoop," I paused before resuming._

_ "To prove that, when I looked back at the last match, each successive shot took slightly longer for him to get ready. Even if we can't stop him completely, if we manage to push him to that extent, his accuracy should down drastically."_

_ "If that's the case..." Mitobe smiled._

_"Yes! Tai-chan! You're the only one who's fully capable of tormenting Midorima-kun! Block all of his full court shots with the best of your ability—make sure he gets as little points as possible! However, be careful. Shi—Midorima-kun's been training very hard since the last match. His amount of shots that he could make will definitely increase. The way he is now, he might even go pass his limit. Don't waste any excess energy showing off with your dunks. Focus on blocking his shots!" I finished and my lips curled up in a confident smile._

* * *

"And now, we'll begin the Winter Cup preliminaries, second match of the finals league! The match between Seirin High School and Shutoku High School will now commence! Bow!"

"Let's have a clean match!"

"Fly, fly! O-O-tsu-bo, fly!" the cheers from the audience deafened the court.

I sat on the bench next to Riko and got my pencil ready for taking notes.

Kagami and Kuroko exchanged a few words before Kagami went back into a glaring contest with Midorima. Sparks could be seen between those two as the ball got tossed up into the air.

The players were set—the game would commence!

"It has begun!"

"A tie?! The ball..."

The game started with the tip off between Kiyoshi and Shutoku's captain, Otsubo.

"Goes to Seirin!"

However, the victory of the tip off was not to be celebrated. Takao quickly hit the ball out of Izuki's hands and the ball went to the opponent. When the opponent was about to shoot, Kuroko flashed out of nowhere and hit the ball out of the opponent's hands.

"Yes, good work!" we shouted. However, we spoke too early on this as well.

"No, but the one who picked up the ball is..argh! Midorima!" the juniors clutched their hair in annoyance and I bit my lip. Come on, Kagami...

"Alright—nice block!" we shouted as Kagami hit the ball out of Shin-chan's hands.

"Out of bounds! Shutoku's ball!" the ref called.

"Uwaa! Amazing! Fireworks from the get go!"

"I forgot the breathe!"

The ball from the out of bounds went right back to Midorima's hands. Midorima, went right back to a shooting position. And Kagami, went right back to blocking the ball.

"Shin-chan..." I bit my lip. Oh geez, why was I suddenly worrying about him for a second there? Snap out of it, Miho! I snapped the lead off of my mechanical pencil and then stabbed myself with the pencil point—well, not _too_ hard.

"What's he doing...?" Riko muttered and I turned to her, "I thought he'd come back with some kind of change, like learning a new skill...but it's completely the same style as last time...?"

"He doesn't have any new skills. All he's been doing till today are basic trainings to increase his stamina. Shin-chan's very confident in his shot," I replied to Riko, "He knows that he can't keep shooting his shot limitlessly. However it's the same with Tai-chan's jump. It's going to be a full out battle of endurance. He's somehow changed, that Shin-chan..."

"Hm?" Riko looked at me as I muttered that last sentence, "How so?"

"Maybe it's just me...but I definitely feel uneasy, looking at him right now," I mumbled.

With that, we continued to watch the match. However, the same scene just repeats every time. Shin-chan shoots, and Kagami blocks. Even so, I could barely find the time to blink. Even though we were securing the point lead against Shin-chan's team, there was something unsettling about this whole game so far...

"Kagami's exhausted. Ri-chan...is Te-chan going to use _that_?" I whispered.

"Shutoku's first year point guard, Takao Kazunari. He's a real pain. He's not letting Kuroko-kun do anything. Not to mention, Kuroko-kun's misdirection is running out of time. We'll have to bench him soon. However after that, if worse comes to worse, he'll have to unleash his new secret weapon..." Riko bit the back of her thumb as she spoke.

"Ah, steal!"

"The one who got it is...Midorima!"

Kagami realized the situation and jumped high to prevent the shot—

"You Bakagami...! Didn't you read my notes about Shin-chan's fakes?!" I let out an exasperated sigh as I facepalmed.

"Miho...I'll kill him once we finished the match. However...I think Kagami-kun still has some willpower left..." Riko muttered to me as her eyes focused on the match before her.

"Huh?" I looked back at the match.

Shin-chan faked the first shot and was preparing his second one. However... Kagami made another jump the moment he shot it!

"T-Two consecutive super jumps?!" I gasped at the sight before me. That guy...he was something else for sure!

"That was one step faster!"

"Did he finally escape him...!?"

My mind rewinded back to the jump that Kagami made...his fingers reaching out...and touching the ball, "No. Tai-chan's fingers touched it."

"Anyways! The ball's still alive..! Run!" the players shouted.

I smiled. Kuroko's always got a way to surprise you at the most surprising moment. In front of me, was a scene of Kuroko running and immediately grabbing the ball.

"Heh, he started running right after the fake, believing that Kagami would tip it. That guy..." Riko smiled.

The ball went into Izuki's hands.

I looked back at Riko's expression. Her smile from before completely disappeared. I knew what she was so worried about—the battle of endurance between Shin-chan and Tai-chan. With Midorima starting his fakes, it would be harder and more tiring for Kagami to keep up.

"Teppei!" Riko shouted as Midorima got his hands on the ball again.

I silently watched as Midorima faked a shot before running forward to shoot again. However, at that moment, Kiyoshi jumped in and was about to block the shot.

"Yes! We got it!" our team cheered.

"No..!" I shouted, seeing the look in my boyfriend's eyes, "It's a pass! Shin-chan's using teamwork!"

However, my warning was too late. Takao got the ball and passed it to another opponent.

Everyone on the team was startled—I was too. I never actually expected him to start cooperating with others.

"Two on three! They're completely out numbered! They can't be stopped! Seirin screams!"

"So that's what you felt, Miho. Until now, Midorima-kun never relied on others. That made him somewhat vulnerable...and we were able to counter him with a team play. But now, it's the opposite. Now that Midorima's now longer fighting alone, Shutoku has become a true team. This is much worse than just tough...!" Riko stared at the match intently; I was worried that she was going to burn a hole into the gym.

I looked around at the fidgeting freshman around me, "Don't be flustered. You should all shout out and cheer properly!" I tried to cheer everyone up.

"Miho's right. Sure we're in a pinch, but Kiyoshi's the type who's the most reliable at times like this!" Riko shouted out as encouragement.

"Ri-chan. Don't you think Te-chan's at his limit by now?" I asked.

Riko smile, "Heh, Miho, I was just thinking the same thing."

"Seirin! Member change!"

"Te-chan! Good work! You're not done yet, so don't let go of your concentration!" I smiled and gave Kuroko and hug once he came back onto the bench, passing him a water bottle and a towel.

"Thank you so much. I'm fine. Rather, this'll make it better for me to use the new drive. And...I'm not worried. Since I believe in them," Kuroko smiled.

His smile was contagious as I smiled back and gave him another small hug, "So you're finally going to use _it_, huh?"

"Yes. It's about time," Kuroko stared straight back at the match as I went back to my seat.

"Huh?" suddenly feeling someone watching me, I turned my head up towards the observation stands and widened my eyes. Kise and Momoi...so they're interested in the match, huh.

"Seirin's continuing the double team...! They aren't planning to let Midorima shoot at all!"

"Ri-chan. They're using that formation, right? Seirin's original formation..." I muttered.

Seirin was quickly attacking. They moved up quickly on their opponents. When Shutoku was about to shoot, Kiyoshi easily blocked the ball, the ball got passed to Hyuga, and he scored a shot.

"They're back. Ki-chan and Hyu-chan's in and out double highlights, along with five-man footwork and passing by competing for points using those. Seirin's Run and Gun speed basketball," I smiled.

"Yes. There's two things that changes when Kiyoshi's on the team. First, the inside is strengthened. And the other is, by cycling the ball along with the point guard Izuki-kun, they increase the speed of their passing. Fast paced point wars, are our specialty!" Riko exclaimed.

I watched as the match progressed. All was going well for Seirin, however the moment Kiyoshi missed a shot, Midorima got his hands on the ball.

"No..!" I gasped as Kagami was too late to stop the shot.

"Wow...It's here! Midorima's super-long three pointer!"

"Amazing...what the heck is that?!"

"How does that go in? It's totally subhuman!"

I ignored the shouts from the people and stared blankly at the court. No matter how many times I saw it, I couldn't get over the beauty of that shot.

"Ah..." a sigh of content escaped my lips. I haven't seen that shot in a while already.

Suddenly realizing my feelings, I slapped myself on the cheeks to snap myself out of it. I cannot start fantasizing over him and his shot when he's my opponent! Argh!

Riko seemed to catch my flusteredness and sighed, "It must be hard for you, huh—going against your boyfriend."

I laughed sheepishly, "Ahaha...Well it certainly isn't easy... If I had it my way, I would be cheering for him right now."

"It's fine! You can cheer for him all you want, _after_ we beat them!" Riko slapped my back and I winced.

"Thanks, Ri-chan—for snapping me out of it there," I smiled.

"Take it easy. Don't think about him, and focus on the match!"

Taking Riko's advice, I turned my eyes back to the court where the battle was once again raging.

* * *

"End of the second quarter. We'll go for a ten minute break," the announcer announced across the whole stadium.

I let out a long breath I didn't even realize I was holding and walked over to Kuroko and where everyone else was meeting.

Riko started making an announcement, "Listen! To be honest, it's extremely difficult for us to stop Shutoku right now! Our only option is to take more points than they do. The second half will definitely become a point war. Don't ever fall behind! Let's go!"

"The break's over. Now the third quarter, will begin!"

"Even with Teppei on our side, it's going to be tough from here on out. Not only we can't stop Shutoku, but the other side most likely studied all our moves even up to the last year. Even with Miho-chan's data on their formations and habits, our side hasn't been taught how to properly put those to use yet. Our only hope is Kuroko-kun's new drive...if they keep up and the gap widens before Kuroko-kun goes out, then we're finished for sure!" Riko exclaimed to me.

"Let's hope they can last long enough," I muttered.

"It's Shutoku's sure-win pattern! It's four versus three!"

I bit my lip at the scene before me. Takao tricked Izuki and passed the ball over to Midorima instead.

"Don't miss!" he grinned after he passed it.

"Improbable. Shut up, you fool," Midorima got into the position to shoot and then shot the ball.

However, what my eyes caught wasn't the shot this time, it was the smile that was on Shin-chan's face for an instant. I know I shouldn't be feeling so happy when the others were so distressed, however I have never seen Shin-chan smile while playing a match before. My lips unwillingly curled themselves up into a small smile.

Suddenly aware of my feelings and being extremely annoyed at them, I jabbed my hand with the pencil again.

The match didn't look good for Seirin. Shutoku was constantly countering our attacks with attacks of their own and Kagami was slowly reaching his limit—unable to stop Shin-chan's shots.

"Coach," Kuroko, who had been silent up until now, spoke up.

"Eh?"

"I think...I'll be able to do it now, the new drive."

We both stared at Kuroko before smiling with enthusiasm. It was all up to him now, after all.

"Seirin High School's member change!"

* * *

A/N: So sorry for the late update! Well, it's 12:01 am here, so... Anyways, I'll wait till I get more submissions for the OC before she comes in.

This chapter is basically all match gibberish. Well, I guess it's Shin-chan's match so it makes up for it. Miho's reactions were kind of like mine when I first read this chapter. Haha.

Okay, once again, thank you all so much for the reviews! I really love you all so much! If I can get more than five reviews on this chapter, I'll try to upload two chapters by tomorrow! Reviews are basically the fuel for my motivation here. Haha. ^_^ However, I actually really appreciate those that are reading this from the bottom of my heart. So, thank you all so much!

I won't ramble on for too long this time. Please submit more OC ideas! That would really help me a lot! Also, please review! Those things honestly support me a lot, as well!

I love you all! Have a great summer!

~Yuvi


	7. 我和他 － Him and I

**Through the Hoop**

**Chapter 7： __****我和他 － Him and I**

"Coach," Kuroko, who had been silent up until now, spoke up.

"Eh?"

"I think...I'll be able to do it now, the new drive."

"Seirin High School's member change!"

The atmosphere in the gym was pretty intense. I knew Shin-chan could tell Kuroko had something up his sleeve. However, even Shin-chan wouldn't be able to stop this Kuroko.

"This Kuroko is unstoppable! His skill is specifically meant to counter the Generation of Miracles. Come on...it's time for the debut!" Riko smiled slyly at the match before her.

I squeezed my hands around the pencil when the ball was passed to Kuroko. I smiled when he caught the ball while Midorima was guarding him.

"Even if it's you, Shin-chan, you won't be able to stop him," I thought aloud, "It's not something that's fast or skilled. That drive that only Te-chan can do, will just completely vanish!"

The whole stadium was sent into chaos after Kuroko's drive. Both Riko and I laughed happily as Kuroko passed the ball to Kiyoshi, which led to a dunk.

"What?! What was that?! What an incredible dunk!"

"Fool! You're wrong! Before that...! The Generation of Miracles, Midorima Shintaro was...bypassed?!"

"Yeah!" I laughed and high fived Riko, "Go, Te-chan!"

After an unsuccessful dunk from Shutoku, Kuroko got his hands on the ball again. However, this time, Takao stood in his way.

"Sorry, Takkun. However, even your Hawk's Eye won't be able to stop Te-chan!" I shouted.

After passing Takao, the ball was passed to Hyuga, who scored a three pointer.

Within the last three seconds of the third quarter, Hyuga scored another three pointer, tying the game at 76-76. Good job, Te-chan!

* * *

I stared at Kagami in worry. He's pretty exhausted from marking Shin-chan all this time.

"Are you alright, Kagami?" Izuki inquired.

"I'm totally fine. Besides, there's no way I'll give up before he does!" Kagami exclaimed.

After a moment of silence, Hyuga was the first to stand up, "Alright, here we go! These are the last ten minutes. We won't stop until the end!"

"Seirin! Fight!"

"Yeah!"

"The last quarter will now begin."

Once the timer buzzed, Seirin immediately started their Run and Gun style. However, both Kuroko and Kagami are fired up this time. With Kuroko's amazing pass and Kagami's dunk over two defenses, Seirin once again takes the lead.

"With the advent of Te-chan, our high-speed pass work has evolved. Our pass pattern will change without warning. An ever changing Run and Gun style. This is Seirin Basketball's complete form!" I exclaimed.

Conversely, right after I was happy for a moment, Shin-chan shot another three pointer. He never fails to ruin my moods, geez.

However, I smiled, "He's surpassed his limit long ago, huh."

"I knew it was something like that. But so what? We still won't lose, you douche-bag!" Hyuga exclaimed, shooting a three pointer.

The cheers for both sides deafened the stadium. From here on, it would be a pure match of determination.

"That's our line!" Shutoku also shouted, scoring a lay up.

However, even in the midst of such a relentless battle, the clock will still continue to tick. Thus, they slowly approached the termination of the match. With twenty six seconds left on the clock and the score being 103-104 with Shutoku leading...

Kuroko grabbed the ball as it was going out of bounds.

"I won't let you through!" Takao bellowed.

"If that's the case, I'll force myself through," Kuroko calmly replied, his vanishing drive defeating Takao.

"He did it, the vanishing drive!" we all stood up and cheered.

Kuroko broke pass Takao and passed the ball into the hands of Kiyoshi...!

"Go!" we all shouted.

However, my worst nightmare turned into reality.

* * *

_"Ne, Ri-chan," I started while we were taking the ten minute break._

_ "Huh? Yes?" Riko looked at me with a confused expression. _

_ "I've been wondering for a while now...but Ki-chan has an injury to his knee, right?"_

_ Riko's face was first surprised before it darkened, "Yes. As expected of Miho—I didn't think I could hide it from you. The truth is..."_

* * *

No. Not now. Not at the climax of the match.

"Ki-chan!" I stood up and shouted.

However, it was too late. Midorima came up and slapped the ball away from Kiyoshi's hands.

The whistle blew, "Defense! Pushing! Shutoku's number six! Free throw, two shots!"

I gripped my skirt as I watched the match. With two seconds left on the clock, the outcome of the match depended on these two free throws. Both teams were securing the rebound and getting ready for Kiyoshi's throw.

"Ki-chan..." I muttered. I was worried for his knee. God, please let this go smoothly!

With the tension fierce, we all prayed for the shot to go in.

"Yes!" I exclaimed as the first ball made the basket.

We all started cheering. But then, the shot of fate arrived. I watched as the ball flew through the air...

"Rebound!" both Riko and Shutoku's coach shouted at the top of their lungs.

However, the ending was once again anticlimactic. The buzzer sounded and the match ended up in a draw.

"What now?" I asked Riko.

"Normally, it would be overtime. However, in this competition, in order to save time, the don't have plans for an overtime," Riko explained.

"So that means..."

"Both teams are even! It's a draw!"

Everyone on the team cheered Kiyoshi up and we all high fived.

With that, Shutoku promised to settle the draw in the Winter Cup. With the score tied 104-104, Riko and I both let out a huge sigh of relief.

"At 104 to 104, the result is a draw! Bow!"

"Thanks for the match!"

Like that, Seirin and Shutoku's second battle closed its curtains. On the other hand, the Kirisaki Daiichi versus Seishinkan match that took place at the neighboring court, was ending with an extremely foul and gloomy atmosphere.

* * *

After the match, while Riko decided to barge into the guy's change room, I set off to find Midorima.

I found him at the vending machine, buying a drink. Smiling, as his hand was going to press a button, I jumped in and pressed it for him.

"I'll be taking that," I smiled happily and grabbed the drink from the machine.

"Miho, you..." his face had an expression of disbelief on it, "What's with you and stealing people's drinks?!"

I pouted as I took a sip, "I'm sorry, I was thirsty. Just one sip, 'kay?"

I laughed and passed him the can back as he turned around and let out a, 'hmph'.

"Ahh! Looks like we came in at a bad time, huh? Being all lovey dovey first thing after a match against each other?" a voice interrupted us.

We both turned around.

"Ryo-chan! And Sa-chan, too!" I smiled at the pleasant surprise.

"Midorin, Micchan! Long time no see!" Momoi came over and gave me a hug.

"Well, it wasn't a bad match, right? Huh?" Kise winked at both Midorima and I.

Midorima simply turned around and let out another 'hmph'.

* * *

"If you two both win the next match, the Winter Cup is just up ahead. Don't mess up, okay?" Kise teased.

"That's improbable. Stop blabbering, you dumbass," Midorima calmly stated back at Kise.

"That's so mean! Mihocchi, why are you in love with this guy?!" Kise whined.

"You do not need to be concerned about me. Miho, your next match is against Kirisaki Daiichi's Hanamiya Makoto," Midorima turned to me with a serious expression on his face.

My face bleached at the name. So the guy from back then was...

"One of the Crownless Generals. Throughout the Finals League, they were definitely aiming for the next match with Seirin. They're definitely plotting something. Miho, be careful," Midorima addressed me before walking forward, "I'm going now. See you."

"Eh? Already? We just met after such a long time!" Momoi complained.

Midorima stopped at his rickshaw.

"Wait, wah! What the heck is that?!" Kise exclaimed in disbelief.

"It's a rickshaw. He makes his teammate Takao pull him around in it as transportation," I laughed as I explained.

Suddenly, I looked in the rickshaw and saw Tetsuya Number Two... Kise, Midorima, and Momoi all had different expressions on their faces as they saw it.

"Nigou!" I exclaimed and picked up the little puppy.

"Micchan, you know him?" Momoi asked me with sparkles in her eyes.

"He's our dog! His name is Tetsuya Number Two!" I smiled and laughed as he licked my cheek.

"Tetsuya Number Two?! No wonder he annoys the hell out of me! He peed on my rickshaw!" Midorima exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the poor puppy.

"Aw, but Shin-chan! He's so cute!" I pouted and held out the puppy for him to see.

"Ah, now that I think about it...Tetsu-kun and the dog...they look exactly alike!" Momoi exclaimed before falling over.

"Sa-chan!" I gasped as I quickly caught her before she hit the ground.

This caused me to let go of Nigou, who barked happily and ran into someone's arms.

"That's our dog," Kuroko's voice brought my attention.

"Te-chan!"

"Kurokocchi?!"

"Kuroko...!"

Kuroko stared at us, unfazed, "Everyone, did something happen?"

"Y-Yes! Sa-chan, she...!" I shook Momoi's shoulders as she lay on my lap.

"Momo-cchi!" Kise gasped.

"Let's call an ambulance," Kuroko blankly suggested.

Midorima facepalmed, "It's not something like that!"

Amidst the panic, we didn't notice Takao coming out. However, Midorima soon turned and saw the black haired boy.

"Phew. So pointless—I'm going now," Midorima grumbled as he turned around.

"Huh?! You're going?!" Kise exclaimed in disbelief.

"She'll wake up soon," Midorima simply stated, "Let's go, Takao, Miho."

"Eh, hey, are you sure?" Takao sweat dropped.

I stared at him, confused, "Wait, what? I'm going too?!"

Midorima turned to me with a furious look in his eyes, "Yes! You're coming too! You owe me a notebook _and_ a juice now!"

"Ah! I'm sorry!" I bowed my head before following the boy, "Te-chan! Tell Ri-chan I'm leaving first!"

"Kuroko," Midorima turned around again as I started the coin flipping game with Takao, "Let's meet again, at the Winter Cup."

Kuroko remained silent for a while, before smiling, "Yes."

* * *

"Takkun, are you_ sure _you're okay? I mean, you just had a match after all and I didn't have to play during that match..." I asked, with worried eyes.

"Hah, it's kinda refreshing to have someone so nice to me once in a while. Shin-chan bullies me everyday!" Takao whined.

I felt sorry for the boy and started comforting him with kind words.

"It's the other way around! And Miho, don't comfort him!" Midorima shouted as he sat on the rickshaw and glared at me.

"Ah, but..." I mumbled as I sat back down beside Midorima.

There was a bit of an awkward silence for a while before Takao spoke up, "Miho-chan. It's alright. I'm used to doing this already. Furthermore, your team's center...did you notice anything about him?"

I looked up at Takao's back, "You mean Ki—Kiyoshi-senpai's knee?"

It was Midorima who spoke this time, "I noticed it at the final dunk. He has an injury to his right knee, right?"

Biting my lip and looking down, I spoke, "Yes. I had a bit of a feeling at the match we played against Josei and I confirmed the feeling with Ri-chan today. That knee...has a quite a bit of an history."

"History?" Takao questioned.

"Yeah, and that history has to do with our next opponent, Kirisaki Daiichi's Hanamiya Makoto," I looked at the sky with sad eyes.

It was the tragic past of Seirin's basketball team. That is why, all the seniors are determined to claim the title as Japan's number one this year.

* * *

"Pardon my intrusion..." I spoke gently as I entered the doors of Midorima's house.

"I told you there was nobody home, didn't I?" Midorima sighed as we both took off our shoes.

Even so, it felt bad to just enter somebody else's house without a greeting. I've been to Shin-chan's house twice before. One time was for a group project at school and the other time was to study together before a final exam.

Midorima's house had a rather old and classic feeling to it. The residents slept on futons instead of the modern beds.

Shin-chan led me to his room, which was at the end of a hallway connected to the living room. His room was quite neat, with his books and papers on a desk and his basketball equipment in the corner of the room.

Despite being here before, it was still a nerve-wracking experience—seeing your boyfriend's room after a long time. Thus, I stood by the door, nervous to enter.

Shin-chan noticed my hesitance and raised an eyebrow, "What are you standing there for? Come in."

"Ah! I'm sorry..." I shakily entered and sat by the green haired boy at his desk.

"So um..." I started, only to be interrupted by Midorima.

"I have a couple of videos of the matches that Kirisaki Daiichi played. Let's watch them," Midorima took out a couple of CDs from a drawer and inserted them into his laptop.

I stared at him and smiled gently. It was so nice to be able to spend some time alone with him. The past few days have been hectic with all the matches that I didn't even realize just how much I wanted to see him.

"...You were great today," I whispered as he worked with his computer.

His hands stopped, "I didn't want to get dumped."

I let out a small smile, "I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine. I was the one who started it," I watched as his hands continued to work with the computer. I wanted to touch him—I wanted to hold his hand and be in those strong arms of his.

"Shin-chan—," I started only to be stopped by a whisper coming out of Midorima's mouth, "...my name..."

"Hm? What was that?" I asked.

"I heard you call my name during the match today," Midorima turned his head away from my scrutinizing gaze.

I realized that he meant the time when I tried to warn the team about his pass to Takao.

Surprised, I poked my head closer to his face, "Huh? Yeah, what do you mean?"

There was a pause before he spoke up, "—happy..."

Barely catching the words I look at him for clarification, "Hm?"

He turned to me with his face red, "I was happy. It felt like you were cheering for me."

Before I could react to this, he pulled me forward against his chest, "Shut up. Don't say anything."

My heart beating and my face hot, I nodded silently and also wrapped my arms around his broad chest.

I felt his chin resting on my head—his hold was almost suffocating. However, it was comfortable. Eventually, I relaxed into his arms and smiled gently. He must've felt the same way as me—lonely and longing.

"I really wanted to see you. I had to stab myself with my pencil to keep myself from thinking about you and cheering for you during the match—," I stopped myself before taking a deep breath and then continuing, "When I saw you smiling after that one shot you made, it felt like my heart was going to burst into flames of happiness."

It was pretty sly of me, I thought, to spout out these honest feelings of mine when he couldn't see my face. Thus, when he released his hold and tried to get me to look up, I clung to his shirt and buried my face into his chest to hide the ugly red that was undoubtedly on my face right now.

"Miho, look at me," I heard his voice.

"N-no. It's embarrassing. Everything I said was so embarrassing," I shook my head in reluctance.

Hearing a soft sigh, I felt his large hands weaving in and out of my blue hair, "I'm always scared that you're going to leave again someday."

I widened my eyes, "I promise I won't ever leave again."

I heard a small laugh, "Alright. I believe in your promises."

Smiling, I remembered the promise I made right before I left for America.

* * *

_"It's cold and it's pouring. What's so urgent that you had to call me out at this weather?" Midorima scowled as he joined me at the fountain beside Teiko Middle School. _

_ "Shin-chan! It's great to see you!" I giggled and gave the annoyed boy a hug under the umbrella._

_ "Che, okay. So what was the urgent news?" he sighed and we both sat down on the fountain's ledge._

_Pressing both my index fingers together and looking down, I let out a weak smile, "Um...well I'm leaving for America. My father said that my grades were dropping so he wants me to study in the States for a while. I'll be leaving in two days..."_

_Silence spread across the tense atmosphere._

_Finally, Midorima spoke up, "Why are you telling me this?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_Are you going to break up with me?"_

_I looked up and shook my head, "N-No! Of course not. W-Well that's only...if you don't want to..."_

"_Then it's fine, isn't it? As long as you come back, then it's fine," Midorima lifted my chin up so that my eyes looked into his._

_I put on a brave smile, "Yes, you're right. Thank you Shin-chan."_

"_P-Promise that you'll come back," Midorima blushed, as he demanded._

_I closed my eyes, "I promise I'll come back."_

_To seal the promise, I leaned forward and gently touched my lips against his. He was startled at first, however he quickly relaxed and wrapped his arms around me._

* * *

"...To think you actually fell asleep," Midorima's hand twitched as we were walking back to my house.

"I'm so sorry! I stayed up late last night and the night before that trying to finish homework and finish watching old matches! I'm really, really sorry!" I squeezed the hand that held mine and apologized once again.

"...And to think that I went out of my way to bring you over to my house as well," he muttered under his breath.

Not believing what I was hearing, I raised an eyebrow, "What was that?"

"Nothing! I even went out of my way to find you those clips! Falling asleep while watching something crucial, what do you have, narcolepsy?!"

"Ah! I'm so, so, sorry! Shin-chan!"

* * *

A/N: Ahh! I'm so sorry if Shin-chan was kinda OOC in the last bit there. I really wanted him to say his actual feelings for once. Anyhow, woot! Thank you so much for the OC ideas guys! They really helped! I think I can get Kise's girlfriend in by the next chapter! I tried to mix in all of your ideas into one character, be it the name, birthdate, personality, or physical appearance. I really tried to get everyone's ideas in! If you don't see anything related to your OC submission, it might come out in the next few chapters.

Well, the matches will be over for a while...yay? The next one is the match against Kirisaki Daiichi. I'm going to get Miho to actually contribute somewhat to Seirin's win this time, haha. I'll try my best!

Anyways, thank you all once again for the reviews! They are really wonderful things! Thank you all for supporting this story and reading it! I hope you all continue to review and be such awesome people!

I love you all! Please read and review! ^_^

~Yuvi


	8. 辻明日香 － Tsuji Asuka

**Through the Hoop**

**Chapter 8： **_**辻明日香**** － Tsuji Asuka**_

Gently tossing the pancakes up into the air, I let out a loud yawn. Ever since my fight with father, I haven't talked to him at dinner or at breakfast. Mother seemed to notice my feelings more and often asked me how basketball was. To this, I was glad.

Back in middle school, I would make breakfast, lunch and dinner for everyone in the family. However, ever since I entered high school, basketball left me no time to make dinner. Thus, I only made a breakfast and prepared a bento lunch for everyone to eat. My mother's cooking wasn't very good so I tried to get her to cook as less as possible.

Setting the breakfast on the table, I started making the rolls and rice balls for lunch.

"Mimi! The breakfast looks delicious this morning!" my mother strode into the room and admired my handiwork.

I turned and smiled, "Thank you, mother."

She beamed at me as she sat down, "Mimi, do you have a boyfriend?"

My hand suddenly slipped on the rice ball and I dropped it, "W-What?! Mother! Why bring this up now?"

Surprised, I quickly pick up the rice ball from the ground and check to see if there were any bacteria on it.

"Well, Mimi has such good grades and all. Yet you never mention anything about a boyfriend! There has to be someone who likes you, right?" she tucked her blue hair behind her ear and smiled at me.

"Until now, you would've never worried about things like that..." I muttered, looking down and working on the bentos again.

I heard her let out a big sigh, "Your father and I have been...reconsidering the way we have been treating you. After thinking about it, we've decided to start worrying about things that aren't your grades. Your father's still stubborn about it, but you hit us pretty hard with those words you said."

I paused before turning back to her, "Will he scold me if I don't get first or a hundred every time now?"

My mother laughed, "He'll scold you if you didn't try your best. And Mimi, I know that if you tried your best, you can definitely place first every time. You're that kind of girl, afterall."

"Thank you, mother," I whispered as I finished packing the lunches.

"Well! I'm going to dig in to your delicious breakfast! Oh, and, bring your boyfriend over someday, alright? I want to see what kind of person he is!"

"Huh?" I gasped at my mother's cheerful exclamation.

She really _is_ smart, huh. Being able to see that I had a boyfriend just by looking at my face. Smiling at the mother that I was slowly opening up to, I headed back to my room to check my phone.

"_Capricorn's lucky item today is a stuffed bear. You should bring it. ~Midorima Shintaro."_

I smiled brightly at the text. He must've meant the bear that he won for me at the basketball shooting game at the summer festival...!

Wondering why I was doing this, I picked up the small white bear by my pillow and stared at it. If I brought this to school, Kagami would definitely snicker at me for the whole day, Riko would give me exasperated glances, and everyone else would just stare at me like I was a weirdo.

No matter what, only Shin-chan would bring a stuffed bear to a high school...

* * *

Well that's what I thought, but—

"Mother, I am leaving for school now," I bowed to my mother before starting to leave.

"Alright, Mimi! Have a safe day!"

Sighing, I hugged the white bear by my chest. For some reason, I felt that I _needed_ to bring this bear today.

As my feet brought me along the familiar road to Seirin, I saw a recognizable figure ahead.

Raising my voice, I shouted, "Ri-chan!"

The coach of the basketball team turned around, "Miho-chan! Good morning!"

I ran up to her and smiled, "Phew, it really is cold today. I guess winter's coming, huh."

I had to wear a thicker jacket today and also a scarf to school.

Riko laughed, "Yeah. This signals the beginning of the Winter Cup as well."

"Why don't we have practice today?" I asked as I walked beside the coach.

Riko had an evil glint in her eyes, "We have a clean up today. Hehehe..."

Oh god. Sweaty basketball guys plus their everyday items plus smelly lockers does _not_ equal an easy clean up.

"Ahaha...Ri-chan. W-Will I be participating in this clean up?" I stammered, dreading the afternoon already.

Ri-chan smiled, "No! Of course not! I'm not going to let such a cute girl like Miho-chan do those idiots' clean up! I want you to scout around this afternoon."

"Hm? Scout around?" I asked.

"Yep! Like going to other schools to view their practice and stuff like that."

"I-I see..."

Riko's face darkened, "Especially, the Generation of Miracles. We all saw Kise Ryota's match against Aomine Daiki. They're still rapidly improving. I want you to see how good they are now."

"Okay. I got it," I smiled.

"Oh, but...Miho-chan...You probably won't be able to find your way there, huh," Riko's expression turned into a slightly annoyed one.

I scratched my cheek, "A-Ah...yeah..."

Sighing, Riko patted my back, "I'll assign Kuroko-kun to go with you then. Amongst all the guys, I feel that he may have the least to clean."

"Oh, okay. Thank you!" I smiled, which caused Riko to smile back.

After we reached the school gates, Riko paused for a while, "Hey Miho..."

"Yeah?"

"I've been wondering...but why do you have a stuffed bear with you?!"

And! She noticed. I knew I shouldn't have brought it...

"W-Well...it's today's l-l-l-l-l-lu—," I gasped for air after not being able to get the word out.

"Lu?" Riko raised an eyebrow.

"L-Luka! It's name is Luka!" I exclaimed.

"And why do you have it to school again..."

"I-I forgot I had it with me! Ahahaha..." I tried my best to cover up my intentions.

Riko didn't seem convinced at all. However, she soon sighed and shook her head.

"Alright, Miho-chan. Whatever you say."

* * *

"Huh? Nanase and Kuroko are going to go scout the other schools?" Kagami asked with disbelief.

"Yup! I can't possible let Miho-chan be responsible for your cleaning and Kuroko-kun has the neatest locker!" Riko exclaimed and clapped us both on the back, hard, "Off you go, you two!"

Wincing, Kuroko and I ran out of the Seirin building.

"Miho-chan, I think everyone is going to murder me once we get back," Kuroko calmly told me.

I raised an eyebrow, "Huh? Why?"

"Because I got to skip cleaning."

I laughed nervously, "I-Is it really that bad in there...?"

Kuroko blankly responded, "Yes."

"Hm, so Te-chan, which school should we go to?" I asked, tilting my head and looking at the list of the schools that we needed to visit.

In all, there were around ten schools that we could visit. We probably only had time to visit two or three today, however.

"We played Shutoku in the last match, so we don't need to visit them. Aomine-kun is probably skipping practice. Murasakibara-kun's school is too far."

"Kirisaki Daiichi—we are playing them in the next match, however everyone looks very mean so no. Rakuzan wouldn't let us in..."

After narrowing down the choices, there was only Kaijou, Kise's school left.

"Well, Te-chan. Shall we pay a visit to Ryo-chan's school?" I smiled.

* * *

"Should we go in?" Kuroko asked as we both peeked through a crack between the two gymnasium doors.

"I don't know. Can you see anything, Te-chan?" I whispered as I narrowed my eyes and tried to make out what the regulars were doing inside the gymnasium.

I had expected Kuroko to answer positively, since his observations skills were exceptional. However, he merely shook his head and muttered a 'nope'.

Sighing, I was about to stand up when a voice shouted over my shoulder.

"Kurokocchi, and Mihocchi?!"

There was only one person in the whole world that would call us that...

"Kise-kun," Kuroko already stood up and was greeting Kise with his usual nonchalant expression.

"R-Ryo-chan...We—," I started, only to be interrupted by Kise, who tackled both Kuroko and I with a hug.

"Ahh! It really _is_ Kurokocchi and Mihocchi! What are you two doing at my school?" Kise asked as he kept one arm around my neck and the other one around Kuroko's neck. He then pushed open the gym door and brought us to the spotlight of all the eyes in the gym, "Everyone! We have guests!"

The first one to react to Kise was a man that I recognized to be Kasamatsu Yukio, the captain of the Kaijou basketball team and a nationally credited point guard.

"Kise! What are you doing, skipping practice?! Tsuji-san is even here to watch! And wipe that happy grin off of your face! It's grossing me out! Now hurry up and go do your warm up exercises!" Kasamatsu bellowed, causing everyone to shiver in fear.

After Kise ran off, I shakily spoke up, "U-Um...Kasamatsu-san..."

Finally noticing both Kuroko and I, he turned around, "What...? You're that invisible guy from Seirin..."

"Hello. I am Kuroko Tetsuya and we are here to watch your practice," Kuroko blankly responded.

"I'm very sorry for the interruption..." I bowed towards the captain of the team.

"No, it is alright...um...are you Kuroko-san's girlfriend?" he asked.

"Captain! She's Nanase Mihocchi! She was our second manager back in Teiko! She's super cool with her awesome habit analysis skills!" Kise shouted from the other side of the gym.

I bowed, "Nanase Miho—I am the currently the manager of the Seirin basketball team. Nice to meet you, Kasamatsu-san."

"I see. So Nanase-san. You're here to observe our practice?"

"Yes, if it's not too much trouble. I promise I won't take any notes."

"I see, well you can sit next to Tsuji-san. She's the girl with the long lilac hair," Kasamatsu pointed to a pretty and young girl, about the same age as me, sitting on a bench near the side where the regulars practice.

"Thank you very much!" I bowed again before both Kuroko and I headed towards the girl.

She saw us and made room for us on the bench.

"Hello, you are Tsuji-san, I suppose?" I asked as I sat down.

Her blue eyes met mine for a second before she let out a small smile, "Yes. Tsuji Asuka, it's nice to meet you."

She had quite a white complexion and she seemed skinny. Her lilac hair flowed down her back and she had her bangs pinned back using a hair clip. She was a very pretty girl.

"Hi, I'm Nanase Miho, and this is Kuroko Tetsuya," I smiled back at her.

She nodded silently before smiling again and turning her head back to the practice.

It was strange. I didn't think they allowed anyone to freely view the practices at Kaijou inside the gym.

"Um...Tsuji-san, are you the manager of this team?" I hesitantly asked.

She turned to me with a confused expression on her face, "No, why?"

"Well, I didn't think they allowed anyone to view the practices from the gym..." I mumbled.

"Oh! Well, Kise-kun talked to the coach about it..."

I met her gaze, she was staring at Kise, "Ryo-chan did?"

She seemed to be avoiding my gaze, "Nanase-san...are you close with Kise-kun?"

"Huh?" started by her question, I put on a confused expression, "Uh...I guess close would be a way to describe it..."

"I see..."

Suddenly, it hit me. I smiled brightly at her, "Tsuji-san! Are you Ryo-chan's girlfriend?"

She looked at me with shock in her eyes, "H-Huh...? How did you know?"

I smiled, "It was written on your face!"

She turned away with a blush, "Um...well...I hope it isn't that obvious."

I laughed gently, "It's okay. I'm sure Ryo-chan really loves you. It's okay to show off your boyfriend to everyone."

"Ah, but he's always surrounded by girls. I know it's only natural, however it's kind of vexing."

"Well Asu-chan's very pretty! And she's also very nice. So I think it makes sense for Ryo-chan to like you! Believe in yourself more and don't mind his fans!" I exclaimed happily.

Tsuji seemed to be calmer at my words, "Alright! Thank you very much, Nanase-chan."

I smiled before seeing Kise starting to start a match. Smiling, I went back to my original duties.

Once in a while, Kise would wink at Tsuji, causing her to blush but wave back. It was so cute, I couldn't help but smile.

* * *

"Te-chan! So, are we heading back to Seirin right now?" I asked once Kaijou finished their practice and we were walking out of the school.

"Yes. I don't think they are done cleaning yet."

I laughed softy, "Yeah, that's probably true. So what did you think of Asu-chan?"

He thought for a while, "She's a nice girl."

I smiled, "Yeah! It's great that Ryo-chan has a girlfriend. I mean the incident with Haizaki in Teiko and all..."

"I don't think Kise-kun actually liked her," Kuroko stated.

"You mean, the girl that Haizaki took?" I asked.

"Yes."

Looking ahead silently, I nodded.

All his life, Kise had been a target for girls. Although he never says it, I could tell that he really just wanted someone that truly cared for him. I was genuinely happy to see him find someone like Tsuji.

"You seem happy," Kuroko noticed.

I let out a small laugh, "Well, Ryo-chan's like a brother to me. I've always wanted him to find someone he truly treasures."

Kuroko smiled, "It's very nice."

Agreeing, we both walked back to Seirin.

* * *

"Bwaa!"

The cries of the people in the basketball team were the first thing we heard once we entered the school building. I turned to Kuroko, who had a pale look on his face. His eyes met mine, and we both stepped into the boys change rooms at the same time.

"W-We're back..." I muttered as we stepped into the room.

The change room looked...decent. Sure it was still slightly messy, however it didn't smell that bad and not everything was out of place.

Riko welcomed our presence, "Ah! Kuroko-kun, Miho-chan! Welcome back! We just have a couple things left to clean, why don't you two help?"

I smiled and nodded, "Alright."

Both Kuroko and I got to work after that. We recycled some of the scrap pieces of paper that still existed inside the room and everyone else told us the horrifying story of Riko burning everything inside the room.

They also had a manga hunt, it seems. In the end, when Riko found out, they were all severely punished.

It was a fun experience. I know I probably missed the grueling parts of the cleaning; however just chatting lively with everyone was very fun.

After everything was finally finished, only Kuroko, Kagami and I were left in the room.

"Ah! It's finally clean!" I smiled and clapped my hands, admiring the room.

"Yeah...Kagami-kun?"

I turned around and saw both Kuroko and Kagami staring at a picture.

"That's the picture they took when they just formed the basketball team...huh," I muttered.

If you think about it, it was pretty amazing. On the year the team was formed, Seirin became one of the four best teams in the Tokyo region. Even in the newcomers' league, they qualified for the Kantou competition. Usually, a new team wouldn't do so well.

"Hm? There's one more photo..." Kagami mumbled and checked out the other photo.

The photo sent me into a bit of a shock. There was a blond haired man with glasses, scowling.

"Kuroko, Nanase, do you know who this is?" Kagami asked.

I narrowed my eyes, "That looks like...Hyuga-senpai?"

"Yes! That's me!"

We all turned and blinked at Hyuga.

"Everyone left already. It's getting late, so don't stay too long," Hyuga instructed.

I nodded, "Um...about this photo. Hyuga-senpai..."

"Yes. I told you, that's me. M-e."

Kagami, Kuroko and I blinked before going into a laughing fit.

I covered my mouth and bit my lip, "Hahaha..."

However, Kagami and Kuroko couldn't hold theirselves back. They sat on the ground, clutching their stomachs.

"Hahaha! Wha...this...hahahaha!" Kagami laughed aloud, "It's so bad...moreover, it looks totally lame!"

A vein popped on Hyuga's forehead, "Out! Get out! I'll kick your ass!"

* * *

"Hmm...last year's photo, huh. I'm surprised you managed to find it," Hyuga told us while staring at the photo.

"Captain, did you start basketball in high school?" Kuroko asked, still shaking a bit.

"No..but, why?"

"You in that photo, pfft!"

"How long are you going to laugh?!" Hyuga glared before calming down, "Izuki, Mitobe and I have been playing since middle school. Koga and Tsuchida started in high school."

At this point, Kagami spoke up, "Captain, can I ask you one more thing?"

"Hm?"

I stared at Kagami as he spoke up, "The rumor that this year's the end for Kiyoshi-senpai...what's that supposed to mean?"

"Ah," a gasp subconsciously escaped my mouth.

"Hm? Nanase?" Kagami turned to me.

I bit my lip, "Well...I've heard about it a bit from Ri-chan when I found out about Ki-chan's knee."

Hyuga stared into the distance, "So you found out, huh. Then it can't be helped. Nanase, how much do you know?"

"Only about Ki-chan and who gave him the injury and how he got it," my face darkened at the story.

* * *

_Riko's face was first surprised before it darkened, "Yes. As expected of Miho—I didn't think I could hide it from you. The truth is...Teppei's knee...he got the permanent injury from a match we played."_

_ "A match?"_

_"Yes. Against Hanamiya Makoto. Our basketball team was just a newly formed basketball team. In fact, it was all because of Teppei, that we have the Seirin basketball team today. As you know, we made it past the preliminaries without a problem. However, at the Finals League, we were crushed."_

_ I nodded, "What happened?"_

_ "In our final match against Kirisaki Daiichi, Teppei's knee was purposely destroyed by Hanamiya Makoto. The entire team targeted Teppei and in the end, they finally reached their goal. Teppei was hospitalized. He could either undergo a surgery or rehab. The surgery would take three years while the rehab would take one. Because he wanted to play basketball with us one more time, he chose the rehab route."_

_ "That's why he's back now, huh," I mumbled. _

_ I could feel the tears stinging in my eyes. Hanamiya Makoto, the man that Kiyoshi talked to last time. If we ever went against him in a match, I would make sure that we personally destroyed them._

* * *

"Yeah, Nanase's basically got it all," Hyuga sighed, "I'll tell you a bit more of our background, however."

With that, Hyuga started his story on the formation of the Seirin basketball team. He told of the tale and the more detailed version of how Kiyoshi was injured.

"So, that's the story. Don't take it so seriously. It's just the past, there's no reason for you guys to be bothered. It's just that this is the last year we can play with Kiyoshi. I don't want to leave any regrets," Hyuga finished.

"There's no reason for you guys to be bothered, huh," Kagami muttered, "that feels a bit..."

"Alienating," Kuroko finished Kagami's sentence.

"After hearing such a story, there's no way we wouldn't be fired up!"

* * *

Slumping on my bed once I got home, I took out the bear from my backpack. I'm not sure if this provided any luck with my day, however looking at it made me feel slightly nostalgic.

Thinking back, the two years at Teiko were actually really fun. From the summer festivals with the Generation of Miracles to the different school festivals...

I let out a long sigh. Sometimes, I wished that everyone could just be friends like they were back in the second year. However, Shin-chan told me that everyone changed later on. With Aomine's skill splurge and Akashi's dual personality, the bonds that tied them together disappeared.

It's sad—truly.

Even so, I feel that everyone was slowly changing back. Kise seemed to be his usual self when I met him and Shin-chan seemed that way as well. It was probably all because of the invisible shadow—the phantom sixth man.

I smiled, "Thank god you're here, Te-chan."

* * *

A/N: Another chapter... I think I might actually rewrite some of these chapters sometimes. I know that the quality of this story is probably pretty crappy since I was rushing in a lot of the chapters. Especially this one. Haha. Well Tsuji Asuka is Kise's OC girlfriend! She'll be mentioned more in the later chapters and her background will be revealed more! I hope you all like her!

To be perfectly honest, I was thinking about writing a prequel about Miho's Teiko Days. I feel that there is something lacking in Miho's personality. I feel that she hasn't been really developed as a character. Thus, I do plan to write a sequel on this story... The prequel will start from Miho's first day to Teiko and end at the little scene at the end of the last chapter. It'll pretty much explain everything about Miho and how she and Shin-chan got together. I hope the prequel interests you all! I'll tell you guys the title and description when I have decided on it!

Well, thank you all so much for the lovely and wonderful reviews! I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter! I really enjoy writing this story because of all of you supporting me! Please keep up the wonderful reviews! I really appreciate them!

I hope this was a good chapter! Please read and review! I am open to suggestions on how you want the story to go in the next few chapters and also spelling and grammar error corrections! A small word of encouragement would be much appreciated too!

Thank you all very much and I love you all!

~Yuvi


	9. 我要报酬！－ I Want Revenge！

**Through the Hoop**

**Chapter 9： **_**我要报酬！－**** I Want Revenge！**_

Today was the long awaited match against Kirisaki Daiichi. I grabbed my pencil and my favorite cherry blossom notebook and headed out the door.

The cool wind pressed against my cheeks as I made my way to the courts. I had basically memorized the route from the back of my head. Therefore, I wasn't too worried about getting lost.

Most of the Seirin team was already there when I arrived. Once everyone arrived, we entered the stadium with our heads straight. We were definitely going to win against those bastards today. I had carefully taken all the notes needed to win against them. As far as I know, they were a team that purposely hurt the other players without the referee noticing.

I had watched their matches over many times to catch the things that they do.

"Ri-chan, you guys head over to the warm up without me, I need to head to the restroom for a second," I smiled.

She nodded, "Ah, okay. Be back soon."

Nodding, I headed over to the restroom.

* * *

Walking back towards the gym, I went over all the things I told the team about Kirisaki Daiichi's antics during a match.

Not watching where I was going, I bumped into someone, "Oh, I'm so sorry...!"

I bowed before looking up, only to meet the gaze of the man I hated the most at the moment, Hanamiya Makoto.

"Eh? What's such a cute chick doing here at a basketball match?" he smirked and walked closer to me, "Oh wait. I know you. You're that new manager that Seirin got their hands on. Nanase Miho, am I right?"

I was surprised he knew me, "Hanamiya-san."

He smiled even more and crept closer to me, "What a serious expression on your pretty little face. Say...you know about Kiyoshi Teppei, right?"

I flashed him a dark glare, "Hanamiya-san, we will be sure to pay you back for that, today."

He laughed, "Ha? Pay me back? For what? I didn't even do anything!"

"For Kiyoshi Teppei's knee. I'd like to see you _try _to hurt anyone today," I kept up my glare and didn't falter under his gaze. It was frightening, yet I was so enraged about this man. Even Haizaki, from Teiko, wasn't as dirty as him.

"Heh. I like you. Since you're so confident, how about we make a bet?" he grinned mischievously.

"Bet?" I asked.

"Yes. If Seirin wins, I won't ever resort to foul play ever again. However, if they lose, you must transfer to Kirisaki Daiichi and become our manager. What do you say?"

I knew it was a dumb bet. It was an extremely dumb thing that I shouldn't get myself into. Yet, there was something about that grin on his face that irked me to no end.

Fully glaring at the man, I lifted my head to meet his eyes, "I accept that bet. However, if you lose, not only will you confess all your wrongdoings, you'll sincerely apologize to Kiyoshi-senpai."

His smirk didn't disappear, "I accept those conditions, hand shake?"

He held out his hand and I tightly gripped it. The bet was made.

After I had walked away from him, I realized how dumb that had been. If Seirin loses...No! I believe in Seirin. As Shin-chan would say, it's improbable that they would lose.

* * *

"You...what?!" Riko slammed her hand on the bench as we watched the players practice.

"I'm sorry. But I believe that Seirin will win. There's no way we would lose today," I confidently turned to Riko.

She scowled softly, "Okay. We _will_ win!"

On the court, it seemed like the Seirin members had a confrontation with Hanamiya as well.

After everything was sorted our, Kiyoshi walked back to the benches.

The juniors, we told them about Kiyoshi's story, immediately offered to tape his leg.

"You told them?" Hyuga asked.

I smiled, "Yeah. I think they should all know about everything that happened with the team."

"We're done!"

I looked at Kiyoshi's leg and saw it completely wrapped with tape.

"How is that done?!" Riko stormed over and whacked one of the juniors on the head.

I smiled and placed a hand one her shoulder, "Ri-chan, let me do it."

She looked at me and nodded. I smiled and started redoing the taping.

"Teppei, did you hear about the ridiculous met that Miho made?" Riko asked while she was watching me work.

"Bet?"

Riko let out a sigh, "With Hanamiya Makoto! If we lose, she's going to transfer to Kirisaki Daiichi!"

"We won't lose. I believe in all of you," I gratefully smiled at the team, "It's done."

Riko inspected what I did and nodded, "This is pretty well done. Win, Teppei. But don't overdo it. If I think it's dangerous, I won't hesitate to change!"

Kiyoshi stood up, "Okay. Nanase-chan, thank you."

He then walked over and gave each of the juniors a pat on the head.

"Alright! We'll definitely win! Seirin—fire!" the team cheered and both Riko and I went back to our positions.

"So at this time, the match between Seirin High School and Kirisaki Daiichi High School will commence! Bow!"

"Let's have a good match!"

"Tip...off!"

With the opening words, the match commenced. Seirin started with their high speed run and gun style. However, very quickly after, the ball was passed to Kuroko.

"He going to do it from the get-go!" we all cheered.

Kuroko passed the defense and passed the ball over to Kiyoshi, who heavily dunked it.

"Alley—oop!"

"Seirin takes first blood!"

The play progressed well until the small forward, Kojiro Furuhashi grabs the ball and the number ten puts on a screen.

I put on a small grin, "We know what you're going to do."

* * *

_"Kirisaki Daiichi is well known for their rough plays. Their guarding and screening techniques will undoubtedly be rough and they will create fouls that are hidden from the referee. Dodge those fouls and make sure they commit it when the referee is looking. I have it more thoroughly explained in the notes," I informed the team before the match started._

* * *

Hyuga saw the rough play coming and side-stepped to the side before the opponent crashed into him on purpose.

The whistle blew, "Charging! Kirisaki Daiichi's number ten! White ball!"

The members of the opponent's team looked shocked. I pushed up my glasses as Hyuga got possession of the ball. He passed it on to Kagami. When Kagami was about to dunk, number ten once again came over and tried to step on Kagami's foot.

I let out a breath of relief as my teammate dodged and successfully scored.

"It's just like Nanase-chan said...! Those guys are total bastards!" the juniors exclaimed.

"Yes, in every match until now, the team that fought Kirisaki Daiichi suffered an injury without exception—especially the teams' ace. Thanks to Miho-chan's research, we are avoiding their rough play for now. However, I don't know if we can keep it up. If we start getting into the match and forgetting to think, we might not be able to dodge some of their rough plays," Riko muttered.

"Also, if they target one person continuously, I'm not sure if that player will be able to handle all those attacks. Last year, Kisisaki Daiichi were just a normal veteran school. It started visibly increasing ever since Hanamiya's second years took over the main force. It's clear that despite his name, Hanamiya Makoto is a total bastard.*" I muttered, clicking the end of my mechanical pencil.

"Rebound!" Seirin's team shouted as the basket missed the hoop.

I watched as Kiyoshi and Hyuga struggled to dodge that attacks that Kirisaki Daiichi sent at them and retrieve the rebound. Kiyoshi grabbed the ball and dunked it.

As the match progressed, I watched nervously as I watched Kagami barely move in time so that the trip would be in the referee's eyes.

The whistle blew again, "Foul number three! Kirisaki Daiichi's number ten! White ball!"

I let out a sigh of relief. So far Seirin had more than ten points where Kirisaki Daiichi had none.

"Damn it...!" Kazuya Hara, Kirisaki Daiichi's number ten cursed.

"Miho-chan, it should be alright," Riko muttered.

"Okay," I sighed.

Once the game started again, I started taking notes on the players in the opposing team again. I would have to brief everyone about this after the second period was over. Right now, the score was at 73-28. Everything was progressing rather smoothly. Without their dirty tricks, they have nothing.

"Heh. Damn it. It's all your fault...!"

"_Nanase! Watch out!_"

"_Miho...!_"

Quickly, I looked up to find a ball charging straight at my head. Riko wasn't beside me for some reason and if I didn't do anything, I was going to get hit...!

My eyes widened and reflexively, I shot up both of my hands to shield the ball.

_Bam._

"...Ack!" I gasped as the heavy force of the ball slammed against my fingers. A large amount of pain shot through my left hand as my right hand was holding the pencil and was a moment late to deflecting the ball.

"Miho! Are you okay?" Riko ran up to me. She was talking over things with the juniors.

There was a time out as everyone ran over to inspect my fingers. I bit back the tears and put on a brave smile.

"I'm fine! I managed to block it in time!" I giggled and held my hands behind my back.

"You bastard...!" Kagami walked up to Hanamiya, the one who shot the ball, and was about to punch him.

"Tai-chan! Don't!" I shouted.

Luckily, Kuroko tripped Kagami and he fell down.

I let out a breath of relief and stood up and watched while Hanamiya carelessly walked over, "So sorry for that, Nanase-chan! I hope you're okay...!"

Our team scowled and Hyuga glared at the man. However, I pushed them back.

"Hanamiya-san. I'm fine. There's no need to worry about me," I said with a smiled on my face.

"Nanase...!"

"In fact, thank you so much for that," he had a confused expression on his face as I continued, "Seirin has the possession of the ball now, right? Hanamiya-san, you can feel free to chuck the ball at my face as many times as you want! Every time you do it, Seirin will get a ball and score a point. So there's no need to be sorry towards me. I really want to thank you, actually."

With that, Hanamiya fully glared at me, "You little bitch..."

Grinning, I sat back down and passed the ball to Kagami, "Tai-chan. The ball is yours."

With that, Seirin scored another basket and the second quarter was over.

"The second quarter is over. Now, we will enter a ten minute break. After that, we'll start the second half—the third quarter."

Immediately, I stood up, "Ri-chan, I need to get some ice."

She looked at me with worry, "Miho, are you okay? Your left hand..."

I stared grimly at my hand. Three of my five fingers were swollen and turning purple.

"M-Miho! You didn't tell me it was this bad...!" Riko widened her eyes and gripped my hand.

"I think they're just jammed. They'll get better soon," I smiled, biting back the pain as I tried to move the fingers.

"Get some ice! Hurry! You said you were okay...! To think it was that bad..." Riko shook her head.

"I'm fine. You should worry about Ki-chan. He took a couple hits from the opponents."

Everyone watched in worry as I left the gym.

Once outside, I slumped down in the medical room and bit my lip as I tried to bend my fingers.

"Ah!" I cried as pain shot through my hand when I bent my middle finger.

Damn it...If it hurt this much, it was probably broken or fractured. I would have to see the doctors after this match...

"Miho, let me see that," a familiar voice rang through my ears and I turned around with tear filled eyes.

"S-Shin-chan..." I muttered and quickly hid my hand behind my back, "I-I'm fine! There's no need to worry!"

He scowled deeply and grabbed my hand, "You're fine, huh."

His eyes narrowed at the bruised an swollen hand. His fingers lightly touched my middle finger and I let out a loud gasp.

"H-How did you know I was here?" I breathed out as he was grabbing a medical kit and wrapping up the two fingers that weren't fractured.

"I heard your team yell your name. Everyone on our court heard it," he muttered.

"O-Oh..."

"Your middle finger needs to be examined after the match. The other two should just be simple jams," his hand carefully caressed mine and I closed my eyes.

"Who did this?" he whispered.

I opened my eyes, "Huh?"

"Who threw the ball at you?" my gaze met his. His green eyes narrowed hostilely as they met mine.

Not sure what he was going to do, I laughed it off, "Oh, I tripped and fell while walking! Nobody threw the ba—mm!"

Before I could finish my lie, he cut me off as his lips pressed against mine harshly. He backed me up against the wall in the medical room and continued kissing me.

Once his lips lifted off of mine, he asked again, "Who did this?"

My face red with embarrassment, I stuttered out, "H-H-Hanamiya M-Makoto..."

Satisfied, he released me and went to get some ice.

"S-Shin-chan...you aren't going to do anything, are you?" I asked nervously.

He didn't answer but instead, pressed the bag of ice against my fingers. I winced at the touch but eventually got used to it.

After a while of silence, he grabbed my right hand and led me out of the room.

Once we were outside, he released my hand and let out a sigh, "I'll take you to the doctors after this. Don't lose, Miho."

Smiling, I nodded and we both headed back to our courts.

* * *

When I got back to the court, everyone was staring at me.

"Hm? What's wrong?" I asked as I approached Riko.

"Look at Hanamiya. He looks like he was punched by someone," she whispered.

I turned towards the man and saw the blood on his face and the red mark that was appearing on his cheek. It couldn't have been Shin-chan...he was there with me.

I looked up and saw a very annoyed Aomine staring at us from above. I swear his eyes met mine for a second before they turned away.

That idiot! If they find out about this...

"The break is over," the announcer stated, "We'll now begin the third quarter."

The match restarted. Riko asked me about my finger and I told her it was fine. The match started with Kuroko with the ball, the invisible drive and then Kagami's dunk. Seirin received more points after that and soon, we called Kuroko back.

Even though the flow was completely with Seirin, there was something unnerving about the match. It was like there was some sort of trap that I had missed while I was worrying about my fingers...

"Kirisaki Daiichi member change."

I turned my head away from my notes and looked up. The guy that was entering removed his sleep cap and waxed his hair. There was a mole in the center of his forehead.

I dropped my pencil and widened my eyes. Crap.

"Miho-chan?" Riko stared at me and met my gaze, "Who is that guy?"

"Kentaro Seto—Kirisaki Daiichi's genius center. And by genius, I mean it literally. He's extremely smart and has an IQ of 160. In a match, he remembers the gazes of all his opponents and steals all of their passes perfectly. He works together with Hanamiya, who is also a genius. Together, they can steal every ball with one hundred percent accuracy...!"

Riko's eyes widened, "That's..."

"We've got a way to stop it. However, we have to hope that they can hold out for long enough until Te-chan gets back in. It's a forty-five point difference. Because we stopped their rough plays, we will still win this," I nodded and Riko sighed.

The match progressed as I thought it would. Kirisaki Daiichi started stealing more and more balls. As they played, I started explaining how to change the flow of the match to Kuroko. He nodded his head and we all watched as Kirisaki Daiichi score eighteen points in a roll.

After the third quarter ended, the team gathered up at the bench and I explained my plan.

"Wha—Nanase, you knew about this?" Izuki asked.

"Yes. I remembered when I saw that number five enter the court," I explained what I told Riko, again to the whole team.

"So...you mean we'll have to completely guess Kuroko's passes?" Kagami asked.

"Yes. Te-chan will change the course of the passes. There's no way that they'll be able to predict a pass, when even our own team doesn't know it...!" I explained.

Riko thought for a while, "I see...but it's a gamble."

Kiyoshi smiled, "A gamble is something you win or lose. Then this isn't a gamble at all. We can do it. If it's this team."

"We will now being the fourth quarter."

The forth quarter started up with a pass from Izuki to Hyuga. However, when Hanamiya was about to steal, Kuroko changed the pass course to Kagami, who easily dunked it.

"Yes...!" Riko smiled and let out a sigh of relief.

Kirisaki Daiichi seemed startled.

"What was that...?"

"Go Seirin!"

The audience cheered and I smiled happily.

I shut my notebook. With this, it was next to impossible for us to lose. We have a huge point gap still and now Kirisaki Daiichi's trump card had been rendered useless.

Later on in the match, Hyuga also started his three pointers and Izuki started guarding more closely. Adding in Kuroko's passes and everyone's fakes, the match could be called 'beautiful'. The trust and bonds between the team was so endearing.

"Huh..." I gasped as I felt a tear slide down my cheek.

"Miho-chan? Is your hand hurting?" Riko asked me with a worried expression.

I shook my head, "No... The bonds and team play... I feel so touched just watching it..."

Riko smiled gently, "I know. It's spectacular."

The match progressed and finally, Hanamiya reached his limit. When Kuroko was guarding him, he slammed his elbow down at his face.

"Te-chan! Watch out!" I cried.

Luckily, he dodged it. After the dodge, he dribbled forward and shot a floater shot.

"It's too bad I couldn't break you guys. However, if I win, all of your dreams will be shattered. Your disgusting friendship acts are all over," Hanamiya smirked.

At that moment, Kuroko grabbed the ball that dropped from the basket, "Stop messing around. I chose to fight because I believed that the basketball Generation of Miracles was wrong. But they would never do...anything as dirty as what you've done...! Using such methods, don't you dare ruin our...our senpais'—everyone's dreams!"

After his touching speech, Kuroko ignite passed the ball over to Kagami.

I blinked back the tears that were overflowing from my eyes and shouted, "Slam it in! Tai-chan!"

"Incredible! With this, the match is..."

Hyuga made a steal and shot a three pointer at that moment, "We aren't done! Don't rest your hands until the end!"

"Yeah!"

I smiled. During the last few minutes, everyone played with great spirit and determination. In the end, it was still a great match.

"Time's up!"

"Yeah!" we all cheered happily. Riko and I hugged each other and everyone else fist bumped.

I felt my tears flowing down freely now.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hanamiya approaching Kiyoshi, "We lost, Seirin...I guess I lost that bet too. It's a pain, but Kiyoshi, sorry about everything..."

When I saw him about to retort, I marched right up to Hanamiya and punched his shoulder lightly with my good hand, "Hanamiya-san. I said a _sincere_ apology, not some biting sarcasm."

He turned to me, "You...you are the first one to mess up my calculations to this extent...I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life! Next time I'll definitely...crush you!"

It was silent for a while before Kiyoshi spoke up, "Hanamiya...the last shot you showed us...confirmed for me how incredible you are. Let's play ag~ain."

Hanamiya widened his eyes before narrowing them hostilely, "Stop fucking around. Shit...Shit!"

Before he stormed off, he turned to me, "Tell the ace of the Generation of Miracles that I won't tell anyone about it."

I smiled gently, "Thank you, Hanamiya-san."

He shot me a glare before walking away.

* * *

After straightening everything out, Seirin left the courts and headed to the change rooms.

Outside, I told Riko about visiting the hospital, "So um...you guys can leave without me..."

"I see, well good luck. I would go there with you myself but...uh..." she stuttered, turning away.

I laughed, "Don't force yourself, Ri-chan. I'll get going now."

She smiled again, "Okay. Bye-bye, Miho-chan."

I walked over to the change rooms for the players on the second court. It seemed the match against Senshinkan had just ended. Soon, the Shutoku players appeared into my view.

Takao, was once again, the first person to notice me, "Miho-chan! Are you okay? We heard your name yelled across the courts!"

He ran over to me in worry.

Laughing, I shook him off, "I'm fine, Takkun."

He didn't seem convinced, "Really? Because Shin-chan came back with a super dark and gloomy expression after the second quarter! He was _sooo_ worried, you know?"

"Yeah, I saw him and he looked pretty scary," Otsubo, Shutoku's captain came over and patted me on the head.

"Move it, you guys are blocking the door. And Takao, I was _not_ worried!" Midorima came over and stormed into the change room.

Everyone was silent for a while before their gazes all turned to me, "Nanase-chan, right? Why do you like that guy?!"

To that, I could only laugh sheepishly and shrug a bit.

* * *

"That took a long time..." I mumbled and started at cast on my middle finger.

"It's dark now," Midorima muttered.

The doctor had diagnosed my finger as a fracture. He gave me some ibuprofen to take as a painkiller and put a cast on my finger. It would take around four to eight weeks to heal.

Midorima noticed me staring at my finger, "Does it hurt?"

I smiled, "Nope! It's fine for now."

It was probably a lie. My whole hand felt numb and ached. However, it wasn't really my hand that I was worrying about at the moment. My mom came to the doctors as well after we called her. There she met Midorima and was quite giddy about it. Right after she paid for the medical bills, she left to get some food from the convenience store while winking at me.

_ "I'll be making dinner tonight~!" she winked at me and skipped away._

Geez. She was probably trying to tell me to take my time. However, it was still embarrassing.

"Your mother's more...enthusiastic than you described her," Midorima looked at me.

"Ah...yeah...She's changed a bit..."

In the end, I never did tell Shin-chan about my fight with my father. I didn't want him to needlessly worry about me.

"That's good. What do you want to eat tonight?" he asked suddenly.

I turned to him, "Huh?"

"You told me before that your mother's cooking sucks," Midorima stated blankly.

I laughed softly. He wasn't trying to ask me out on a date...was he?

"It's okay, I can manage one night. Thank you for the concern," I smiled.

At this, he seemed quite furious, "Your finger's hurt! You should eat a proper dinner. Now hurry up and tell me where you want to eat!"

I stared at him for a while before smiling happily, "Okay then! Um I've always wanted to eat at this sushi restaurant! They say their sushi is the best in Tokyo...!"

With that, Midorima gave me a small smile and grabbed my right hand, "Alright, let's go."

* * *

"Mmm...this is delicious! I love this!" I grinned as I delicately ate the sushi from my plate.

Suddenly feeling someone stare at me, I looked up and saw Midorima carefully smiling at me. I blushed at the sight.

He seemed flustered by my expression and angrily looked away, "W-What are you blushing for, idiot! Hurry up and eat! I don't have all day here!"

"Ah! I'm sorry!" I apologized before starting eating again. Once in a while, I would also see Midorima eating the sushi. This caused me to get a warm feeling inside my chest.

I was so happy.

After we finished eating, we debated over the bill.

"I'll pay," Midorima immediately grabbed his wallet and looked around for his bills.

I stopped him, "Shin-chan! It's okay! I'll pay! You did so much for me already..."

He shot me a glare, "What are you talking about? You think I could let a _girl_ treat me to dinner? That's preposterous."

I sighed as Midorima paid the bill and led me out of the restaurant.

"Thank you for the meal, Shin-chan," I gratefully bowed to him once he came out.

He simply dug his fist into my head and grabbed my chin to meet his gaze, "There's no need to thank me."

I pouted, "But..."

"Quit being so polite!" he scolded and then I heard him mutter, "I'm your boyfriend..."

With that, I grabbed his hand and grinned, "Okay."

He let out a long sigh and started walking me home.

After a while of comfortable silence, I spoke up, "Shin-chan...this year's Winter Cup, are you ready?"

"Obviously," he responded immediately.

After a while of thinking, I said, "Including the phantom sixth man, this year's Winter Cup...it's going to be an all out war between the Generation of Miracles."

He didn't respond, instead, he squeezed my hand and tugged me closer to him, "Don't overwork yourself."

I smiled, "I won't."

With that, he let out a gruff sigh and pushed up his glasses. I smiled to myself. He should really be more open and honest like this to everyone. It was great that he only showed this side of him to me, however I'm sure everyone would like him better if he was like this all the time.

Well, whatever. Shin-chan was Shin-chan. And this was the Shin-chan I fell in love with. I probably never want our relationship to change. Ever.

* * *

*Hanamiya Makoto means flowery truth.

A/N: Hi everyone! First thing before I go on with my rambling. I have a pretty bad cold right now so my chapters these days have been pretty crappy. I'll really, really try my best to update tomorrow. However, if I don't that'll probably mean I'm dying from my cold. Haha, joking, but it'll probably mean that I'm feeling pretty terrible and is unable to update. I know I said that I would update a chapter a day during the month of August, so I'm so sorry about that. I'll really try my best! But, I really don't want my chapter to be really crappy and unenjoyable.

Okay, now that that's done with, I wanted to say that I really like Miho during this chapter. I don't know why, it was probably her selflessness towards everyone and how she once again realized how much she like Shin-chan in the end. Anyways, I just wanted to say that her character came out better in this chapter than the other ones. (Not to mention that she actually did something in this chapter, haha.)

About the prequel, I have decided that I will write it after I'm almost done the manga plot-line for this story, Through the Hoop. It may be even earlier if I suddenly have a burst of inspiration. I'll still need to plan it out a bit though, so I hope you all look forward to it!

Once again, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and please, please leave a review! Thank you very much! I love you all and I hope I can ramble again tomorrow! ^_^

~Yuvi


	10. 他心里的宝 － The Pearl In His Heart

**Through the Hoop**

**Chapter 10： **_**他心里的宝 －**** The Pearl In His Heart**_

My father started talking to me again a couple days after the Kirisaki Daiichi match. It was pretty strange, for the first thing he asked me about after thirty days was a question about my boyfriend. It looks like mother told him about Midorima, huh.

"Are you going out to see him right now?" he scowled at me.

Shin-chan had sent me a text a while back and told me to head over to Shutoku to meet him and then he would take me to the doctors after.

Knowing him, he was probably still there practicing basketball, even on a weekend. However, then again, Seirin had to practice tomorrow as well. Riko was also talking about planning a training camp.

"Yes, I am," I replied calmly at my father.

He gave me a cold stare before letting out a sigh, "Do what you want. No guy would want to date a girl like you for long."

Ignoring his comment, I bowed before leaving the house, "Thank you, father."

* * *

I crept around the hallways of Shutoku and grimaced softly. I always came here with either Midorima or Kise. I didn't realize this place was this confusing!

Letting out a small sigh, I wandered around the first floor of the building until I heard a ball sound. Smiling, I followed the sound and arrived at the gym.

"Hm, Miho-chan?" it was Takao that was inside the gym.

He was putting away the balls and sweeping the gym floor.

"Takkun...! You're on cleaning duty today?" I asked as I entered and picked up a basketball with my right hand.

He laughed, "Yeah. Practice just ended. Anyways, what are you doing here, Miho-chan?"

I chucked the ball into the ball basket and picked up another one, "Shin-chan told me to come...but he's not here...?"

Takao watched as I dribbled the ball lightly and shot it into the bin, "Shin-chan's still practicing in the other gym—a workaholic as ever. Anyways, Miho-chan, you're prettier than ever today! Are you going on a date with Shin-chan?"

It's true that I did dress up a bit for today's occasion, however it shouldn't seem that obvious! I curled my hair a bit in the morning and tied it up in a side ponytail. It was only my hairstyle that was different! I didn't even put on any makeup!

"Hm?" I grabbed a broom and looked up, "Well, I'd like to think that. However, he's just taking me to the hospital to check on my finger. The doctor says I can probably remove my cast today."

Takao laughed and muttered under his breath, "He's really sly, that Shin-chan."

"Anyways, Takkun, I'm going to help you clean," I declared with a smile.

He looked back at me, "Huh? I can't let Miho-chan do that! Your hand's hurt! If Shin-chan found out, I'll be dead!"

I smiled, "It's fine! We'll get it done faster this way!"

With that, we both began sweeping the floor and putting the balls back.

"You know, I never actually expected Shin-chan to have a girlfriend," Takao started as we were cleaning.

I raised an eyebrow, "Ah, really? Well, I guess he's not the kind of guy that girls are attracted too."

Takao snickered, "For his girlfriend to say that, hahaha! To be honest, I was pretty shocked to see him embrace and kiss a girl!"

I blushed at the memory. It was probably a little bit beyond bold to do that, now that I thought about it.

"T-That...W-Well. Um...I saw him again after a long time! It was something that I did on a spur of a moment!" I tried to cover up my embarrassment.

Takao continued giggling, "And to think he skipped practice because of Miho-chan! That was really surprising! He's always so serious about practice! To think he would actually skip it!"

I let out a long sigh. This Takao...he's probably going to continue teasing me until we are done cleaning...Maybe I shouldn't have offered to clean with him...

"But, Miho-chan. I think it's great that he met you...He's a weirdo and an annoying bastard sometimes. However, we can never get ourselves to hate him. He changes a lot whenever you're here, Miho-chan. There's always a gentleness in his eyes whenever it comes to you. Miho-chan, he probably doesn't realize this, but you're probably more important to him than basketball."

I smiled calmly at the last bit, "That's...probably pushing it a bit... No matter what, I can't beat basketball. Ever since we started dating, I've never been jealous of other girls and such. However, I have always been jealous about basketball and his lucky items. Ha, this probably sounds pretty dumb, being jealous over a sport and inanimate objects."

"Miho-chan, have you and Shin-chan ever fought?" Takao asked.

"Fought? No...Never," I replied.

"Oh? Miho-chan's pretty patient then!" with that, Takao only stared at me as we finished the cleaning in silence.

* * *

Once we finished cleaning, I met up with Midorima at the other gym. He had finished changing into some casual clothing and came out to meet me.

"Miho," he nodded towards me and I put on a small smile.

I thought so before, but he looked very good in his casual clothing.

Takao snickered, "Well, I'll leave you lovebirds alone now! Goodbye!"

"We are not lovebirds!" Midorima shouted at Takao as the man fled the school.

I smiled before turning to Midorima, "Well, thank you for taking your time to bring me to the doctors today."

He pushed up his glasses, "You'll get lost on your own."

I laughed sheepishly at that. That was probably...true...

* * *

"Ah, it's great to finally get that heavy cast off of it!" I happily cheered as I smiled at my middle finger. The doctor took the cast off and applied a splint for the fracture.

Midorima and I were walking down the streets with both of our hands in his coat pocket. It was pretty cold today. Winter was slowly arriving.

"It is fortunate that the injury wasn't too serious," Midorima nodded as I smiled.

Well, to be honest, I was actually pretty happy that I got this injury. Sure it hurt and all, however it was great to be spending more time with Midorima.

"Do you want to get lunch now, Shin-chan?" I asked.

"I know a place nearby. Let's go."

Midorima brought me to a pretty normal fast food restaurant. We ordered some burgers and fries and started eating.

Since I came back from America, we haven't been on many dates. Thus, this opportunity I was currently getting was quite pleasant.

After he finished eating, he passed me a small box while grumbling with displeasure, "It's Capricorn's lucky item today. Your horoscope ranking was last."

I looked up from my food and gently grabbed the box, "Hm? Shin-chan...you didn't need to..."

To this, Midorima only pushed up his glasses, "It is irresponsible for a man to leave a girl running without her lucky item."

Delighted, I opened the small box and found a small heart pendant necklace, "S-Shin-chan...did you buy this?"

To this, he simply turned his face away from my gaze, "I found it at home."

"Oh, well thank you so much!" I smiled and took the necklace out.

Gently clasping it around my neck, I smiled and finished the lunch.

* * *

"Where should we go now?" I inquired as I walked beside Midorima with my hands behind my back.

He pushed up his glasses, "You can choose the location."

As I was thinking, the phone in his pocket rang and he picked it up, "Hello?"

I stared at him as he talked on the phone.

"I see. I'll be there now," he shut his phone after that.

Be there now...what happened?

"Shin-chan?" I asked.

"Coach called us in for an extra practice right now. I need to go," he told me and started walking away, "I am a man who proposes. I cannot skip a practice."

This was pretty ridiculous, wasn't it...I can't believe he asked me out only to ditch me halfway through our date. Then again, maybe it was only me who thought it was a date.

Reflexively, my right hand shot out and grabbed the coat tail of his jacket, "Shin-chan. What's more important to you...me or basketball..." I whispered lightly.

He paused before hesitantly answering, "You know the answer to that, Miho."

I gripped the tail of his jacket, "No, I don't!"

Without turning around, he whispered, "Did you forget the promise we made before we started dating?"

I felt the tears threatening to spill from my eyes. Of course...what was there to ask? Of course basketball was more important to him than just a girl...yet...!

"If you leave now...it's over between us..." I whispered with my head hung low.

We stood there for a while before he shook my hand off and left for practice.

With that, I stood there staring in the distance as he walked away from me forever.

I didn't understand, why was I so selfish? Why couldn't I just be happy that he even asked to go out with me in the first place? There was no way I could compare to a sport that he has dedicated his life to up until now, right?

_"Do what you want. No guy would want to date a girl like you for long."_

Father was right, there _was_ no guy who would want to date someone as selfish as me for long.

_"Miho-chan, he probably doesn't realize this, but you're probably more important to him than basketball."_

What was I even thinking? There was no way that I would be more important to him than basketball. I was a mere girl. In Midorima Shintaro's eyes, dating was simply a concept that he needed to do to fulfill his duties as a man. What did I even expect? Did I expect him to love me?

_"Oh? Miho-chan's pretty patient then!"_

_ Patient_? What part of me was patient? I just completely pushed all my feelings on him without even considering his thoughts.

I was a failure. Not only as a girlfriend, but as a person. Why was I so selfish? The only person I only ever thought about was myself. He texted me everyday, provided me with lucky items, kissed me, brought me to the doctors, gave me clips from previous matches, and paid for me whenever we ate out together. What else could I possibly want from him?

People asked me what I liked about him before. However, the real question was what he liked about _me_.

It looks like my luck finally ran out. Perhaps Capricorn's horoscope today really was last.

* * *

That night, I took the pendant off gently and inspected it. Seeing the words inscribed on the side of the pendant, I felt the floodgates open and the tears that I held back seeping out.

_Ti amo.*_

Selfish...just how selfish could I be? Why did I ever leave that guy? Goddamn it, Shin-chan, I love you so much...!

* * *

"Miho-chan~!" Hanako patted my shoulders as I was reviewing my notes.

"Hana-chan...what is it?" I asked with a smile.

It has been four days since I broke up with Midorima. These days, I have been focusing on my studies and training the guys for the Winter Cup.

"We have a mixer this weekend! I know you have a boyfriend and all but..."

"Ah," I smiled sadly, "he broke up with me."

Hana was silent for a while before slamming both of her hands down on the desk, "H-He broke up with _Miho-chan_?! Why...! Erm...I mean..."

I laughed and patted her back, "It's fine, Hana-chan. I had it coming! Anyways, what's this about the mixer?"

Still a bit shocked, Hana continued, "E-Erm well...My brother's friend saw your picture once and he said he was very interested in you so... I know it's a bit sudden but..."

Putting on a fake smile, I replied, "No, not a all! I'll go meet him! I don't have to do anything else, right? If I decline, it would be bad for Hana-chan too!"

She smiled at me, "Thank you so much, Miho-chan!"

I smiled. A mixer huh...why not? I didn't have much to lose when it came to a relationship.

* * *

"Oh, the guys are coming!" Hana exclaimed as we sat down at a restaurant.

I laughed as I reached my head out to peek at the boys who were entering the restaurant.

I had braided my hair today and put on some nice clothes and make up. It probably never mattered for Midorima, however being pretty and cute was important for other guys.

"Yo!" a man with black hair and multiple piercings grinned as he sat down in front of me, "Nanase Miho, right?"

I widened my eyes. No...it couldn't be...Haizaki Shougo?!

"H-Haizaki-kun?!" I exclaimed.

I haven't seen him since he was expelled from the basketball team in Teiko...!

He put on a smirk, "I always thought that you were dating that Midorima. Are you cheating, Nanase-chan?"

I bit my lip. I was never too close with this man. He hated me a lot since I was always around Kise in middle school.

Fortunately, Hana saved me from answering the question, "Ah! Haizaki-san! Could it be...you actually know Miho-chan?"

Haizaki grinned, "Of course. I had a _huge_ crush on her in middle school! Right, Nanase-chan?"

I grimaced and didn't answer his question.

"As you can see, she's still pretty shy. She loves me and she knows it...!" Haizaki snickered.

I glared at him, "There's no way I would...!"

Hana saw our exchange and sighed, "Well, let's all introduce ourselves, shall we? I am Yoshioka Hanako! I go to Seirin High! It's nice to meet you all!"

"Nanase Miho. I also go to Seirin High School. It's nice to meet you all," I smiled.

After that, we all introduced ourselves. Other than Hana and I, there were still two other girls from different schools. One was from Shutoku and the other was from Josei. The other four guys were all Haizaki's best buddies, it seems.

After a while of introductions, I soon found myself alone with Haizaki. I had gone to the washroom and it seems like he followed me.

"Well, Nanase-chan. You never did answer my question. Are you cheating on your boyfriend? Or did you dump him?"

I found myself trapped between the wall and Haizaki. His face was a few inches away from mine.

I turned away from him, "Haizaki-kun...! Leave me alone!"

"Eh? But I finally found you again after all this time! You know, Nanase. You really did cause me a lot of trouble. You were the one who told Akashi to expel me from the club, right?" his gaze was threatening and his hand lifted my chin up to face him.

"You were a disturbance to the club. You gave us a bad reputation," I glared at him.

His face was furious, "I'll crush that little team of yours this year. I'll also crush that dumb faced blondie."

"Ryo-chan will defeat you, Haizaki-kun. There's no doubt about that...!"

"Heh, you'll see me crush him with your own eyes someday. But for now...I want to wipe that glare off of your face!"

I widened my eyes as he leaned forward and his lips almost touched mine. However, at that moment, he stopped and made a coughing sound.

"Leave her alone," the familiar voice ordered.

My blue eyes widened. I would recognize that deep and strict sounding voice anywhere. But...what was he doing here?

"S-Shin-chan..." the name escaped my mouth as Haizaki turned around and saw the green haired boy.

"Ha! To think you two were actually still dating. I guess your relationship wasn't as fragile as I thought. Sorry for hitting on your girlfriend, Midorima," with that, Haizaki left the bathroom hallway while smirking at me.

After a moment of silence, I put on a brave smile, "A-ah! Shin-chan! Um...thank you for helping me there. Um...what are you doing here?"

His expression was not amused. Instead, he gripped my wrist tightly and started pulling me out of the restaurant, "We need to talk."

"W-Wait! Shin-chan! I need to tell everyone that I'm leaving first!" I gasped and struggled in his grasp.

To this, he let go of my hand and I walked back to the table.

"Miho? You took a while, are you okay?" Hana asked.

I looked at Haizaki—he had a dubious expression on his face as he flirted with the other girls.

"Something came up. I need to go now. I'm really sorry, Hana-chan," I bowed towards her and grabbed my bag.

"Ah...alright. I guess I'll see you then..." she muttered as I thanked her and walked out.

"Shin-chan!" I exclaimed as I exited the restaurant.

It didn't really matter if we weren't dating anymore. No matter what, I wanted to apologize for what happened before.

Without a word, he led me to a park where there was not a lot of people. We both sat down and I was the first to speak.

"S-Shin-chan...I'm not saying this to repair our relationship or anything. But I'd like to apologize for what I said before," I smiled before staring up at the sky.

He was silent as I continued, "Um...well...What I said was wrong...I shouldn't have compared myself with something you treasure so much. It was very selfish of me. Also...I don't expect you to forgive me or anything..."

"Will you stop spouting such nonsense...?" he gripped my right hand with force, "You and basketball are completely different things...!"

I let out a small gasp, "Shin-chan..."

He paused as his green orbs met my blue ones, "Miho, you're important to me. Remember that. Your sign is Capricorn. We are compatible."

Honestly, I didn't deserve this man at all. He was so kind. It really didn't even matter if he put basketball before me. As long as his hand clutched mine, there was nothing that mattered anymore. His passion for the sport was what made me fall for him in the first place. I really shouldn't complain about his obsession for horoscopes or basketball at all. He's perfect.

"You did this last time...but I'll say it this time...I love you, Shintaro. Please go out with me!" I stood up and bowed towards Midorima.

He stood up as well and held me in a hard embrace, "What are you talking about? You've always been mine, right from the start."

"Shin-chan...!" I buried my face into his chest as I cried my tears of happiness.

I knew I was selfish...yet I wanted to keep him as my boyfriend. I loved this guy for real. No matter what, I didn't want to separate from him.

With our embrace, we resealed the vow of our relationship.

* * *

*Ti amo means 'I love you' in italian. By the way, Midorima did not know that there was such a thing engraved on the necklace. ^_^

A/N: Disclaimer - I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or any of the characters.

Oh geez, I'm really sorry for not updating yesterday...I had a bit of a fever. Luckily, it's gone down today...! This chapter was completely filled with OOC ness. Augh...I'm really sorry for that too... I felt that I needed to clarify the importance of Miho in Shin-chan's eyes. He won't ever say this, but Miho is something like his air while basketball is his life. Well, something like that anyhow. ^_^

Thank you all for the kind reviews! I'd like to really thank my continuous reviewers for their everlasting support as well as my new reviewers! All the reviews are really appreciated and I hope I can keep receiving them!

Please keep reading and reviewing! I love you all!

~Yuvi


	11. 准备－Preparations

**Through the Hoop**

**Chapter 11：__****准备－Preparations**

"Hot springs?"

The basketball had a meeting on the roof at lunch. There, Riko proposed a visit to the hot springs.

"Yup! There's a girl in my class who has a relative that runs a small hotel. She said she'll let a in for a very cheap prince since it's off-season right now," Riko grinned.

I was all for the hot springs trip as well. I haven't ever been to one before and I was pretty excited. After the hot springs trip, Riko and her father planned a secret brutal training camp for the boys.

I went to Riko's house the other day and we talked over the training camp schedule and organized some training regimens. It turns out that Riko's father used to be a professional basketball player. Talking with him made me learn a lot of new things about basketball and how to improve the players. Maybe I could even be a sports coach someday under his teaching...! Just kidding.

When I was back in Teiko, I had helped the coach with some of the training regimes and helping the players cover up their habits. Even so, I wanted to learn some more things from Riko's father. Thus, I requested for him to teach me some ways of coaching. Because of that, I was very looking forward to seeing him again.

"We need to release our fatigue accumulated from the Winter Cup Preliminaries. Thus, we should take a break and get refreshed for once. Right, Ri-chan?" I grinned happily, carefully playing with my heart pendant necklace as I ate.

Riko smiled, "Yup! It's just like Miho-chan said!"

"A hot spring, huh...It might be good for Kiyoshi's knee, too," Izuki turned and smiled at Kiyoshi.

"Miho-chan, is your finger okay?" Kuroko turned towards me and asked.

I smiled at him for reassurance, "The doctor took the cast off last week! I just have a splint on it now. It should be fully healed soon!"

"That's good," Kuroko gave me a small smile.

Kagami fisted Kuroko's head, "Ah! It still pisses me off that that guy got off without even apologizing to Miho...!"

"Ouch, Kagami-kun, that hurts. Don't take your anger out on me," Kuroko grumbled.

I smiled at Kagami, "Tai-chan! You finally called me by my name! And it's fine. Dai-chan already beat him for me. Shin-chan also gave him a talk, I think."

"I'm still not satisfied that those bastards are the ones that did the beating," Kagami bemoaned.

Riko gave Kagami a punch on his head, "Enough, you Bakagami! Alright! Once we get a good rest, we'll practice to our death for the Winter Cup!"

"Yea-yeah...!" everyone on our team nervously cheered.

* * *

"R-Ri-chan...isn't that the boy's hot springs?" I asked nervously as the coach of the Seirin team advanced towards the boys' hot springs.

She turned to me and gave a devil smile, "Miho-chan can go to the female section after you hear the signal."

With that, she stormed off.

I let out a nervous laughter and hesitantly turned away from the direction Riko left.

Turning around, I saw Kagami dragging along a half dead Kuroko. Worried for the smaller boy, I hurriedly ran towards them.

"Tai-chan! Te-chan! What happened?!" I exclaimed as I placed a hand on Kuroko's head.

"It's probably a case of dehydration, fatigue, lack of oxygen and nausea at the same time," Kagami grumbled.

"Oh geez. Tai-chan, you make it sound so serious. I'll take care of him. You can head back to the hot springs if you like!" I smiled as Kagami carried him onto a bench.

Kagami stared at me, "Hey, you sure? You haven't even gone in yet, right?"

I waved my hand, "Hey, it's fine! I can always go in later!"

Putting on a small smile, I grabbed a wet towel and put it on Kuroko's head. Kagami shook his head and disbelief and went to the vending machine, "Hey, you two want anything to drink?"

I smiled, "Red bean soup, please."

Kagami gaped at me with a wild expression, "Miho. You're turning into _that_ annoying guy!"

I laughed a bit, "I thought it was a strange drink at first as well, but I think I really like it now!"

Kagami sighed, "And you, Kuroko?"

"...A Pocari, please," Kuroko lightly responded.

"Huh? Oh man, it's out. Miho, take care of him. I'll go buy one from somewhere else," Kagami sighed.

"Sorry," Kuroko responded.

I played with his wet hair as I sipped the red bean soup. I guess Kagami wasn't going to go back in. Oh well.

"Miho-chan, you should go to the hot springs. Don't worry about me," Kuroko muttered.

I placed both of my hands on the drink, "It's alright."

Just then, I heard footsteps and looked up to see someone unexpected.

"Che, you're here? Satsuki was hoping you were in the hot springs. She wanted to talk to you," Aomine placed a drink down beside Kuroko, "here."

Kuroko looked up, surprised, "Aomine-kun..."

"It's been a while, Tetsu..." Aomine nonchalantly muttered.

Seeing the tension between the two, I slowly crept away, "I-I'll leave for now. Sa-chan wanted to see me, right? Dai-chan! Be nicer to Te-chan and stop making that scary face!"

He shot me a glare before sighing, "Miho, I want to talk to you alone later. I'll text you."

I paused, "Oh, alright."

With that, I turned and headed towards the hot springs. Once I stepped inside, Momoi was there with Riko glaring at her.

To break up the tension, I hopped in beside both of them, "Ri-chan, Sa-chan! I saw Dai-chan on the way here."

Once Momoi saw me, she immediate death hugged me, "Ah! Mi-chan! Last time I saw you, Midorin kept you all to himself! I missed you _so_ much!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Riko sweat drop, "I see how these two were best of friends in middle school," she muttered with annoyance.

"S-Sa-chan...I can't breathe..." I gasped out.

She happily released me, "Mi-chan! I managed to obtain the Winter Cup match up! When we heard that you guys were here, we felt like saying hi!"

I bit my lip, "Don't tell me..."

Riko's face darkened with shock.

Momoi put on her battle mode smile, "Yes. Seirin's first opponent is us, Touou."

"Why...aren't representatives from the same region not supposed to meet on their first round?" Riko asked.

Momoi put on another smile, "That's usually the case, but apparently that doesn't count for schools participating as wild cards. Therefore..."

"Let's have a good match, right? Sa-chan?" I grinned at the girl.

She smiled back at me, "Since I like Tetsu-kun, I definitely won't hold back this time either. It's a bit disappointing that it will end on the first day, but..."

At this point, I splashed the girl with some water as we both stood up, "Hey, what are you saying, Sa-chan? I'll be directing those words right back at you!"

Riko also fired up, "Don't you dare look down on us! We aren't that easy."

Riko turned to me and we both shouted together, "Write your wills and wait...!"

There was a bit of silence before Momoi smiled, "Mi-chan! Geez, you may have joined Seirin and I acknowledge you as an amazing manager. But, our practice opponent today was Josei. The result was 170 to 39, while yours was 108 to 61. It's a simple story that even a little kid could understand. There's a six month gap between Winter Cup and Interhigh. During that time, every team gets stronger through practice. Even though they're both national competitions, all the teams are a couple levels higher at the Winter Cup. There's no way we'll be the only ones who are...just as hard as before."

Riko laughed, "Ha, what are you saying? Of course everyone thought the same thing. No one believed we would win easily from the very beginning. Furthermore, sooner or later, we're meant to fight them at one point. There's nothing bad about repaying our debt quickly!"

* * *

"Dai-chan," I walked outside of the hot spring house and walked up to Aomine in my casual clothes.

Both of his hands were tucked into his pocket and he didn't turn around, "Miho. Is your hand okay?"

I smiled and held up my hand in front of him for him to see, "I got the cast off. It's on a splint now. It'll be healed in no time, so no worries, okay?"

He let out a sigh, "You're always so damn optimistic."

"Really now? I was pretty pessimistic when I saw your punch mark on Hanamiya-san's face," I shook my head.

He rolled his eyes, "I just saved that guy's effort. He would've done it if I hadn't. Maybe even Kise, Murasakibara. Hell, maybe even Akashi."

I laughed, "Ryo-chan, maybe. Atsu-chan and Sei-chan? Not possible."

Aomine turned to me at that moment, "Miho..."

"Dai-chan! Anyways, I still want you thank you for doing that. It was really sweet of you. Hanamiya-san also said he wasn't going to tell anyone," I smiled and clasped my hands behind my back.

"Che, your happiness is truly annoying me, Miho," Aomine turned away from me.

I let out a small smile, "It's okay. Anyways, what did you want to talk about?"

He remained silent before reaching up a hand to scratch his head, "I needed to get this out before the match. Miho, you're still going out with _him_, right?"

"Shin-chan? Yes..." I replied, unsure of what was going on.

He turned to face me, "Have you ever thought of me that way?"

I paused at his sudden question. Thought of him...the same way I thought of Shin-chan...? Perhaps I did, once upon a time. However, I wasn't even sure if that was just a childish crush. Aomine's passion for basketball was the thing I fell in love with.

"I'm not too sure...but Dai-chan, I fell in love with your passion for basketball. I want to see that fire and smile in your eyes again when you play the sport. Thus, I will do my absolute best to make sure that Seirin wins," I grinned at the tanned man.

He played my answer in his head for a while before smirking at me, "Acceptable. Bring it on, Miho."

* * *

"Wow, the hot spring was pretty good."

"My body feels so light."

"How's your knee, Kiyoshi?"

"Oh, it's feeling pretty good."

Izuki turned to Hyuga as we gathered outside, "Hyuga, you're still holding on to that?"

"Of course," Hyuga muttered.

During the hot springs, unexpected news washed over our team. The Winter Cup matchup was surprisingly delivered to our hands. Our opponent for the first round is...none other than Touou Academy. Everyone thought they had improved a lot. However, there was more training to be done...!

"Alright, are we all here? We'll go straight to practice once we get back!" Hyuga let out a determined cheer.

"Um...Kagami-kun's been missing since this morning," Kuroko with a bad bedhead popped out of nowhere and announced.

That was right. Kagami told Riko and I that he was headed off to America to train with his master...

"Wait, what? Kagami's not here?" Hyuga asked as I played with Kuroko's soft hair.

"No worries, guys," I reassured them as Riko continued my sentence.

"We'll be practicing without Kagami for a while, starting today. We'll tell you the reason later."

"Eh? Alright! Let's go home!" everyone cheered.

I grinned, "Wait! We aren't heading back, yet!"

"Huh?"

"Thankfully, there's no school today and tomorrow due to the national holiday and the school's anniversary! Thus, Ri-chan rented the public gym there! We'll be diving right into a training camp!" I pointed towards the gym.

"What?!"

* * *

Riko and I took off our jackets and hung them up inside the gym as we waited for her father to come. Finally, we heard his footsteps and voice.

"Ah, you guys, hold it right there. You don't have to change into basketball shoes just yet," the man walked in with his hand on his neck.

"Dad!"

"Ah, Kagetora-sensei!" I exclaimed.

"Coach's daddy?!"

"You have no rights to call me 'daddy'," the tall man gruffly regarded, "Call me, Kagetora-san!"

"Why are you here...?"

"Don't give me that! I came here to make you guys stronger due to my beloved daughter's request," Kagetora explained, "Therefore...here's a small question. The bastard that tried to peep on Riko yesterday...come on out...!"

With that, a quarrel started between the team, Riko, and her father. I watched in silence, sweat dropping slightly. I knew that Kagetora had a _huge_ daughter complex. It's was kind of funny to watch, whenever I went over to Riko's house.

After everything finally settled down, Kagetora sighed, "Okay, okay. First of all, you guys...take off your shirts."

I laughed a bit at the expressions on the team's faces. Riko had told me that she and her father could see a player's potential in their bodies. This must've been what she meant.

"Well, guess you lot are pretty good. Looks like you've been able to keep up with Riko's training since summer. Not only your stamina, but your muscles have grown in a balanced fashion too. I'll praise you for now," Kagetora finished.

After the boys finished dressing, the coach's father spoke again, "Then let's split you guys into two groups," he pointed towards one side of the team, "You guys are the cops," then the other side, "You guys are the robbers."

"So go over to that mountain and play cops and robbers for three hours. After that, I'll let the losers pay only twice for the practice jogging," Kagetora ordered.

"What?! So random!" noise buzzed everywhere before everyone started leaving.

* * *

"Dad, was that...a fartlek?" Riko inquired after I was taking a break from one of Kagetora's lessons about the movements in basketball. It seems he was quite fond of me.

After a short pause, Kagetora pounced on her daughter, "As expected of Riko-tan, you know so much!"

Riko hit the poor father on the head.

To avoid further fighting, I cut in, "Um...sir, what's a fartlek?"

He turned to me, "Ah! Miho-chan! A fartlek is a system of training in which the athlete runs in nature. By running on irregular terrains using their entire body, they athlete can achieve a balanced increase in fitness. As I said before, everyone's doing pretty well physically. But, they're still stiff. Muscle's not all about adding more and more on. You need to have a body that can use those muscles. You need to mix those muscles into your body. The quickest way to do that is to make them run around in the mountain."

I quickly jotted everything he said down and made more notes on some of the basketball techniques he had just taught me. This training camp was pretty useful to me, as well.

Just then, the door to the gym opened, "We're done, sir..."

We all turned, "Oh. Then before we go on with the practice, I'll tell you what you guys have to master by your match next month."

There was some complaints about the running they just did, however Kagetora continued, "Dumbass, that was just a warm-up. Riko and Miho showed me the DVD's of your next opponent—an offensive team with a high level of individual skill that focuses sole on individual strength. They may seem like the complete opposite of you guys who focus on teamwork, but to me, they're the ones who've got better teamwork."

After this revelation, everyone was shocked. Even I stopped taking notes and just stared.

"...What?!"

"Of course it's not like they're paying any special attention to it. They just have it. It's not about having any solo stunts. The important thing is for every single player to aim for the basket. Teamwork comes only after that's established. You don't call acts of friendship, 'teamwork'."

At this, we were all silent until Kagetora sighed and spoke again, "For example, let's see...you, four eyes!" he turned to Hyuga, "You tried to pass through with a dribble during your last Touou match, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"That was a dumb move."

"What?"

"What were you thinking? Going against a national-level opponent with your weakest weapon? Aren't you all about using long-distance shots? That cuticle pretty-boy and meow-boy seem to be able to shoot three-pointers too, but only being able to shoot isn't a weapon. Moreover, during the recent match against Kirisaki Daiichi, too. If you had made those long shots from the very beginning, you guys would've won much more easily. Be more self conscious that you're Seirin's lifeline. Be able to shoot by yourself without relying on screens."

"Wait, but...how?! I was dribbling because I can't..." Hyuga complained.

Kagetora turned around and ordered Izuki, also known as 'pretty boy' to give him a pass.

"Eh? Kagetora-san can play basketball?" the juniors exclaimed.

Kiyoshi smiled, "It's not simply that he can play. He is a player, who was a member of Japan's national team."

I ignored their chit chat and focused on what was happening before me. Kagetora had the ball and Hyuga was blocking. Somehow, he moved back and made a three-pointer...! It wasn't like Shin-chan's shot either. It was just a simple shot...yet...

"Well, it's something like that. Just so you know, that wasn't about speed. It a _skill_ that even you can do," Kagetora clapped his hands once and walked back over, "Teamwork starts to shine only when well established individuals strengths are gathered. I'll make sure that each one of you will develop your own weapons by the Winter Cup. In other words, they'll be your special moves. The foundations are already set and it seems like some of you already have some understanding from the summer training camp. For the next month till the Winter Cup, I'll train you guys as much as possible for a bloody bargain price of nothing."

The whole gym was silent after Kagetora's speech.

I was the first on to bow—the others followed, "Tha—Thank you so much!"

After the thanks, Kuroko spoke up, "That's good and all, but..."

"Eh? That's right! What about Kagami?!

* * *

A/N: Disclaimer - I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or any of the characters.

Ah, well, Yuvi here! I thought it would be a good idea just to end it there for now. Haha. Miho finally formally broke off any chance of a relationship with Aomine in this chapter. Their past will be explored deeper in my prequel which is still in it's planning/researching stage.

Anyways, I think I might focus a bit more on the training camp than the manga did. This is just because Miho has a lot to learn from Kagetora. Miho's not really that much of a manager in the 'Momoi' sense. However, she more like an extra eye. Her main use is to obviously spot weaknesses and habits that the players have. However, she still does not have the experience nor the knowledge to fully put her skills to use. Right now, she's basically just taking notes on the other team's habits and weaknesses so that Seirin knows them. However, she doesn't not know how to improve the team from her knowledge and make them shine even more. Thus, she will be having a lot of training sessions with Kagetora. I promise she'll be of more help during the match against Touou (though it will eventually turn out with a Zone Kagami doing all the work).

Anyways, some replies for my reviewers! I was going to do this last chapter. However, I was pretty dazed, sick and completely out of it...so...

** Bakashi - **Thank you for your review! I'm glad you like it so far. As for the point issue there, I'm pretty sure it was totally my mistake as I was writing these things at two in the morning and never really bothered to check them over before posting them. Haha. Anyways, thank you so much for pointing that out! I'll go check it over with the manga and change it as soon as possible! Thank you!

** jdawgjpn - **Thank you. Like, actually. Thank you, so, so much for those awesome reviews you leave on basically every chapter. They always put a smile to my face and I always think, 'Well I guess I just have to keep writing now!' I hope you keep supporting this story! Thank you so much! ^_^

** Guest - **You are my favorite Guest ever! I'm not sure if you are the same one every time, but I absolutely _love_ reading your reviews! They really cheer me up and just, thank you so much! Once again, I hope the chapters continue to be with your liking! Thank you, so, so much! I hope you keep supporting me!

** CarrotCrisps - **This is probably biased a bit, however your review just completely brightened up my day that day. I was feeling pretty bad with a dumb cough and fever however just seeing the review made me smile! MidorimaxOCxAomine! Hahaha, I totally agree with you! It's like I have animeblock after watching KuroBasu! I can't even do anything else but daydream about those pixel men all day! I'll definitely write more OC stories if I have any inspiration! Once again, I hope you continue reading Through the Hoop and enjoying it! Thank you so much!

** hlflores - **Your reviews are always so simple and sweet at the same time! They really make me smile! I'm always so happy whenever you review. So, thank you so much! I hope you continue supporting me and the story!

** Devilish-S - **Your reviews are _so_ awesome and appreciated! Omg, I always get really excited whenever I see a new review! Anyways, I really love the comments you leave me! Thank you so much and I hope you keep supporting my story!

**Crossroader32 - **Thank you so much for your help with the OC and all your reviews! I'm really glad you really liked my story! Your reviews are always really sweet! Thank you so much and I hope you keep reading my story!

**Anyone else I might have missed - **I'm really sorry! However, the message is basically the same! I love you all so much for reviewing and reading my story! I hope you can all continue supporting me! Thank you so, so, so much! ^_^

Anyways, thank you all again for reading my story, reviewing, and following! I'd like to give you all a bow of gratitude! *bows down. Hehe, thank you all so much! Please keep up the support! I love you all!

~Yuvi


	12. 冬季杯，开始！－ Winter Cup, Commence！

**Through the Hoop**

**Chapter 12: **_**冬季杯，开始！－**__**Winter Cup, Commence！**_

_"America?"_

_ "Yup. Our school has a short term study abroad policy, and apparently the location of our sister school is Kagami-kun's old home, Los Angeles. According to him, in LA, there's a 'master' who taught him basketball," Riko explained._

_ "M-Master?! Wait, how come I'm only hearing of this now?"_

_ "Miho and I learned it just last night too. Seriously, why do this year's freshment keep on appearing and disappearing all the time? It feels like they're messing with us. Don't you agree?" Riko evilly smiled at Kuroko while he whimpered in fright and pain._

_ "Che, well as long as he comes back stronger, we've got no problem. However, Nanase's been slacking off every single day ever since she became the manager. She hasn't even done anything to help us at all!" Hyuga turned to me._

_ I widened my eyes, "N-No...I'm sorry. I'll do my best at the next match, I swear!"_

_ Riko glared at me as well, "You think you can show off just because you used to be a manager for the Generation of Miracles? You're just a pain for Seirin in the end anyhow."_

_ I bit my lip, "N-No! I'll definitely help the team in the next match!"_

_ "You suck, Nanase..."_

_ "You're such a worthless child..."_

_ "Miho, let's break up..."_

* * *

"N-no! Stop!" I shouted and woke up from the nightmare.

Cold sweat dripped down my forehead as I sat back up from my sleeping position on my desk. Oh, that's right...I've been taking notes with some of the things that Kagetora taught me...

Riko, Kagetora, and I have spent the past few weekends helping the team train at the gym. I would make everybody lunch when they had their break. During the three hour rounds of cops and robbers, Kagetora would instruct me on how to use my notes to properly perfect everyone's physique and make sure there would be no holes in the team play. Riko would come up with training schedules for the before and after school practices in the gym. We were all doing everything we could to defeat Touou.

Kagami was still in America doing rigorous training, at least we hoped. Tomorrow, we would head to the gym again to train with Kagetora-sensei. I was taking notes on Touou's match and trying to find ways to help Riko get our team to punch through their weak points. The dumb nightmare was probably telling me to wake up and get back to work.

Sighing, I replayed the video and continued my notes.

* * *

"Al-right! Then go play cops and robbers! The losers will double their muscle training."

"Yes sir!"

Riko and I walked back into the gym. We were carrying the bento lunches that I had prepared for the team after their game.

"How are they, dad?" Riko asked.

After the usual pounce of affection from her father and the slap from Riko, Kagetora explained, "However they are, they've got no choice but to do what they've got to do—basic stamina reinforcements on Saturdays, and individual skill training at school with Miho on weekdays. How much further they can go in the next month is all up to them."

I spoke up at this point, "Putting stamina aside, is it really possible for them to fully develop their own special moves in just less than a month?"

"It will be impossible for the first years, but the second years...they'll be able to do it. Airhead ditzy-boy," also known as Kiyoshi, "already has his own style, and he's got talent too.

Next, he spoke about how Hyuga, glasses boy, and Izuki, pretty boy, also seemed to have reached an answer of their own.

"They are basically correct, so all that's left is the finishing touch. The remaining three will get something shaped up by the end, too."

Riko didn't hear her father mention Kuroko, and spoke up, "...? How about Kuroko-kun?"

Kagetora was silent for a while before sighing, "Sorry, but as for him...I give up. I've never seen such a player in my life. He's absolutely an extreme outlier. It's an embarrassing thing to say, but I really have no clue what or how I'm supposed to teach him. But, well, I did give him some advice. I told him about the wall he'll most likely face...In the near future."

After a slight pause, the father spoke up again, "How he'll overcome that, is all up to him."

* * *

As the days flew by, I thought this, _'It was a full our war that was approaching. It surely wasn't just Seirin who was practicing like this. Everyone was. The moment each of the Generation of Miracles stand on that battlefield, the war would commence. Nobody could predict the outcome. However, in my heart, one thing was certain. 'Passion' and 'determination' were some things you needed in order to stand at the top."_

Soon, the gates to the Winter Cup finally opened—

* * *

"And now, we will commence the national high school basketball competition, the Winter Cup!"

In high school basketball, there are three major championships, the summer 'Inter-high', the fall 'National Sports Meet', and the winter 'Winter Cup'. Until recently, the biggest title among them was the summer one. But, by getting sponsors and doing television broadcasts, the winter title has gained momentum year after year. Now, at or even above the level of the summer...the last of the biggest titles...is the Winter Cup.

However, a certain red haired basketball idiot forgot the time difference and arrived late for the matches...

"What is that idiot doing?!" Riko raged and had multiple vein pops on her forehead.

I tried to calm her with the best of my ability, "Ri-chan...Bakagami-kun forgot the time difference. He says he'll be here soon..."

However, I was pretty pissed off too. Thus, both Riko and I probably looked like raging idiots to the rest of the team.

As we grumbled about Kagami, the freshmen admired the courts and Hyuga told them to calm down and believe in their selves.

At this point, Kuroko got a text, "Excuse me, can I leave for a bit?"

Riko raged again, "I told you, don't go wandering off all the time!"

"No, um...I've been summoned," Kuroko tried to explain.

We all turned to him, "Summoned...?"

"I'm going to go see, Akashi-kun."

Everyone stared at Kuroko in shock. I quickly grabbed the cell out of his hands and read the text. It told all the Generation of Miracles to go and meet Akashi...

Riko sighed, "Fine. The match starts in the afternoon, so make sure you're back by then! Miho-chan! Can you go with him, just to be safe?"

I turned to Riko, "Of course!"

* * *

The atmosphere was pretty thick and not lively as we walked towards the meeting spot. Kuroko and I didn't talk at all on the way there. We both knew what awaited us...

"What Tetsu, you have a chaperone with you?" Aomine spun the basketball on his finger as he turned to me with a nonchalant expression.

"Dai-chan, that is very rude," I grumbled.

"Mine-chin has Sa-chin as a chaperone too," Murasakibara said as he munched on a chocolate bar.

"Hey, leave Satsuki out of this," Aomine complained.

At that moment, Kise walked over checking his cellphone, "Wait, Midorimacchi, why do you have scissors with you?"

"It's my lucky item of course, stupid," Midorima replied. I sweat dropped at my boyfriend under this heavy atmosphere.

It wasn't the same as before. Every single one of these people has grown exceptionally strong. And on top of that, even though they were former teammates, they would have to fight each other during this Winter Cup.

Kise shuddered, "Um...either way, it's dangerous, so can you stop holding it like that while walking?"

Kuroko watched our exchange before announcing his words, "Sorry for the wait."

From any bystander point of view, this gathering was probably really tense and frightening. I could even feel the shivers crawl up my back as I stood there in my school uniform and jacket. Adding in the cold air, this place felt like a freezer...

Suddenly, Kise's phone started ringing again, "That phone's annoying, Kise. Is it from Akashi?"

Kise's face brightened, "Oh! It's a text from one of my fans cheering me on!"

Midorima responded with a simple, "Die."

At this moment, Murasakibara couldn't open his snack, "Mmm? Huh? It won't open...Mido-chin lend me those scissors."

Midorima protectively hid his scissors, "I'm going to say no."

"Why? Kuro-chin, Nana-chin, do you have one?"

Kuroko responded, "No, I don't."

I let out a small sigh, "Shin-chan, can I borrow your scissors?"

He paused before letting out a puff of air and passing me his scissors. After that, I took the snack that Murasakibara handed me and cut it open.

"Thank you, Nana-chin!" he smiled and gave me a 'small' hug. The hug still crushed the air out of my lungs.

"Y-You're welcome..." I gasped after he released me.

Midorima gave me a look of disapproval once I handed him back his scissors.

Kise snickered once he saw us before letting out a pout, "Why is the person who called us here the last one to arrive?!"

Midorima pushed up his glasses, "Don't get angry every time. He's just this kind of person."

"Tsk," Aomine let out a sigh.

"Sorry. I've kept you all waiting," Akashi's voice suddenly appeared.

We all turned to him as he stood at the very top of the staircase.

"Akashi-kun," Kuroko muttered.

"Daiki, Ryouta, Shintaro, Atsushi, and Tetsuya—I'm happy to see you again. The face that we're all gathered here...is very touching," at this moment, Akashi turned to me, "Miho, it seems you are back from America. That is good."

I nodded at the former captain of the Teiko basketball club, "Thank you, Sei-chan."

"What is this? A formal gathering? Miho's being even more formal than before. That serious expression doesn't suit you at all," the deep voice sounded behind me and a hand clamped my shoulder.

It wasn't really fear or anything. However, of all the Generation of Miracles, Akashi seemed to be the one who changed the most. He now had a frightening aura around him and his eyes were heterochromatic.

I turned around to the voice, "Tai-chan!"

He grinned, "Yup, I'm back. We can catch up later, but first...so you're Akashi, glad to meet you."

Akashi was silent and I knew that was never a good sign, "Shintaro, can I borrow those scissors for a bit?"

Midorima turned, "What do you need them for?"

"My hair's bothering me. I was just thinking about cutting it. But before that..." Akashi turned to Kagami, "You're Kagami-kun, right?"

In a blink of an eye, Akashi sprung forward and almost stabbed Kagami with the scissors if he hadn't dodged.

"Kagami-kun!" Kuroko gasped.

I widened my eyes in disbelief. What had happened to this guy?!

Akashi put on a smile, "Wow. Good job doing that. For moving like that, I'll forgive you this time. But there won't be a next time. In this world, winning is everything; winners are validated and losers are denied. Until now, I've never lost at anything, and I won't in the future. Since I always win, I'm always right. If you oppose me...I'll kill you, no matter who you are."

He was crazy. He was ridiculously crazy. I don't think I even know him anymore. Just...what in the world happened in Teiko during the period that I was gone...?! He was still someone who couldn't handle losing back then, yet...

"Well then, I'll get going. We're done for the day," Akashi turned around.

Aomine seemed pissed as he stood up, "Huh?! Akashi, don't give me that. You made us come here just for that?"

"Nah...actually I wanted to check one thing, but looking at everyone's faces made me realize that it's not necessary. Since, it seems like no one has forgotten...our oath back then. So it's all good. The next time we meet will be in battle," Akashi explained before heading off.

We all stared at his back with determined expressions. Yes, the next time we meet would be indeed in battle. It looks like the storm was finally starting to brew.

* * *

The last battleground of the Big Three competition that is held at the end of the year. There are fifty schools participating. A total of fifty matches are held, over the seven-day tournament. Immediately following the commencement ceremony, the first round takes place over the first two days using a total of four courts: three main courts and one sub-court. As matches conclude one by one, at last—the most anticipated match of the first day was about to begin.

"Oh! Here they are! Good luck, Seirin!"

We walked into the stadium and set our stuff down. I took out my cherry blossom notebook, which was getting quite full—I was going to have to buy another one soon, and sat down beside Riko.

"Super awesome! We're getting so much more cheering than ever before and...the seats are basically packed even though it's the first day? Maybe we're actually famous?" Furihata exclaimed.

"Dumbass, of course not!" Hyuga scolded the junior.

"That good luck probably means something a bit different," Izuki stated.

Kiyoshi smiled, "Unfortunately, what the audiences are here for...is our opponent.

At that moment, the loud cheering made me jump, "Uwooo! Here they come! How many points are they gonna score today?!"

"They achieved rapid growth in the past few years, and surpassed numerous veterans, placing second in Inter-high...the super offensive team that instantly became one of the most anticipated winners of the competitions, the newly crowned tyrant, Touou Academy! And the genius scorer of the Generation of Miracles, Aomine Daiki!"

"Aomine's the man! There's no one who can beat him one-on-on!"

"But it's always hard to tell what number four, the captain, will do too. His moves are unpredictable."

"Wakamatsu too. I've never see a center that can run like him.

Even though the cheers dominated for the opponent, everyone on our side seemed as focused as ever. It seems like they'll be especially trustworthy today.

"It's time. Both schools, please line up."

"Alright! Let's go!" Hyuga cheered.

Before the teams stood on the line, Kuroko confronted Aomine, "This time, we definitely won't lose...!"

"Yeah, alright. Then let's settle it for sure this time, our real battle...!"

"And now, the match between Seirin High School and Touou Academy...will commence."

"Let's have a clean match!"

* * *

A/N: Disclaimer - I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or any of the characters.

**Bakashi - **This is just to answer your question from the first review on the scoring. I did some research and also looked back at the manga today! The score is actually 103-104. It turns out that a free throw is actually worth one point - you guys can correct me if I'm wrong. I think that explains the tied score at the end. I don't actually play basketball, so I have absolutely no clue about the scoring system and rules and stuff. I had to search _a lot_ of stuff up. Haha. Well, I hope that helped! Thank you for reviewing!

Thank you all so much for the sweet replies! You guys really are the best, ever! I'll do my absolute best when writing this story!

As for this chapter, I'm so, so sorry it's so short! I kind of wanted a dramatic opening for the beginning of the Winter Cup. Also, sorry for the obvious lack of romance in this chapter. I wanted the pace of the chapter to be kind of like the beginning of a war against each other. Thus, I basically resolved all of the main romance issues before this.

The next few chapters will probably be solely focused on the Seirin vs Touou match. If you read the manga, this match was a pretty long and important match for the storyline. Matches basically mean 'not a lot of fluff'. :( It's pretty sad. However, I promise there will be a scene after this match to lift the spirits a bit. Then, afterwards, its back to the Murasakibara match. I'll definitely add in chapters between the matches though, to make it less daunting. (It will make the writing less daunting for me too. I prefer writing romance!)

Anyways, you guys may or may not have noticed...but I added titles! They are in Chinese, the first part. I just thought a title in a different language would make the story look cooler. Haha. As for the prequel...I basically got the plot and summary down now. I think I can get the first chapter done soon and posted. I hope you guys look forward to it!

Once again, thank you all for the wonderful reviews! Please keep supporting me with them and I love you all so much!

Thank you!

~Yuvi


	13. 释放 － Release

**Through the Hoop**

**Chapter 13: 释放 － ****Release**

"Tip off!"

The long awaited matched commenced at the sound of the whistle. At that moment, I finished tying my long blue hair into a single ponytail and adjusted my glasses. Everything was ready. I forgot about the world around me and focused my eyes on the match.

Kagetora had told me during our training sessions that my style should be to focus on the team itself more than the enemies. I would find our own team's weaknesses and fill those gaps. _That_ was my strong point. It was the opposite of what Momoi did. However, I felt that I was better suited to this already.

The ball started in Seirin's hands.

* * *

_"How we start is vital! Our opponent is an Inter-high finalist. Furthermore, we lost badly against them last time. Our difference in strength is crystal clear...if they look down on us, then there's no holding back," Riko told the team before the match started._

_ "Go out full power and take the lead!"_

* * *

The team started off with a fast paced approach. Izuki dribbled the ball. However, he was immediately blocked by the captain of the Touou team.

They weren't looking down on us at all.

"They're defending as if the entire match is on the line!" the freshmen shouted.

At that exact moment, the ball was stolen from Izuki's hands. Sakurai Ryo, the team's shooting guard shot the ball towards the hoop. However, it wasn't exactly a shot.

"An alley-oop. Dai-chan's going to dunk it in," I stated to myself.

Riko was silent at the scene before her, but then she spoke up, "It's still within our expectations. If they look down on us, then there's no holding back. If they don't, then as planned...go full assault too, with Kuroko-kun's new pass!"

I grinned as Kuroko changed into a form. It was a form that was slightly like his former Ignite Pass. However, there was a rotation in his wrist and footing. The pass was—

"Ignite pass kai!"

"How excellent that they aren't looking down on us. Let's repay them by showing what we've got! The fruit of Te-chan's hard work, an improved version of Ignite Pass: Ignite Pass Kai!" I grinned as I watched the match.

I knew that Touou weren't going to be affect much by this, however it was still something worth showing.

Aomine went in front of Kuroko to try and block the pass. However, the speed and rotation of the pass completely wiped past his hand and right to Kiyoshi. Even though Wakamatsu caught up, Kiyoshi's right of postponement did the trick and he made a pass successfully to a waiting Kagami. That point went to Seirin with Kagami's finishing dunk.

"Wow, Seirin returned it with an alley-oop, too!"

"Seriously? Incredible!"

"But...the one even more amazing...was the one right before that...what the heck was that pass?!"

The crowd started bustling with excitement. Our team also cheered happily, however I was a bit skeptical. Touou didn't seem shocked from our play at all. In fact...they seemed, unimpressed.

I was right, the moment Izuki go the ball, it got stolen and passed to Aomine, who easily scored a goal.

"He used the mismatch in height created by Te-chan and to prevent him from doing his specialty steal, they gave a high pass to Dai-chan. Number four is someone to be acknowledged..." I muttered.

The rebound also ended in Wakamatsu's hands. Wakamatsu has great power and also speed. In terms of physical abilities alone, he's might be on par with Kagami. Once the rebound was taken, Sakurai shot another basket, resulting in Touou's point.

Suddenly, Kagami got hold of the ball, with a quick Aomine to guard him. Was it a showdown of the aces?

"Tai-chan..." I whispered, "If he loses, then the match is basically over...A battle between aces has a direct impact on the spirit of the team. Even more so if the opponent is Dai-chan...but, for us, the damage will be fatal if it doesn't succeed."

"Let's see what he has accomplished, shall we?" Riko asked.

After that, what happened was something strange. Kagami stared for a few seconds before tossing the ball back.

"Out of bounds! Seirin High School, time out!"

"Ri-chan...that..." I muttered.

Riko smiled at me, "You noticed too. That bastard has improved since last time."

In an amateur's eyes, Tai-chan ran away from the battle, but the thing that passed between the two of them for a few seconds was a high level tactical battle. It's a highly realistic simulation that comes from reading subtle feints from each other. It's something that can be done only when both of them possesses a level of skill high enough to accurately sense the opponent's strength, and the outcome of one-on-on battles during a match are determined not only by strength, but also by the condition of the game.

After considering all those, Kagami was able to precisely sense his loss by himself. As a result, he was able to successfully prevent the worst-case scenario. A well composed decision that can accept even an inconvenient result, sometimes holds an even greater meaning than victory.

The old him would've plunged right in and got destroyed. And that, was only a small portion of Kagami's growth.

Riko and I smiled as we stood up and walked over to the regulars, "Good job passing the ball back,Tai-chan!"

"Yeah, it wouldn't have ended as a joke if you had lost back there."

"But still," Izuki started, "what are we going to do? It doesn't change the fact that we're stuck in a pretty tough battlefield."

"We can't recklessly launch Kuroko's pass since it has too much toll on his body," Kiyoshi added, "Moreover, it's dangerous to fire it repeatedly against Aomine."

After a while of silence, Hyuga stood up, "Alright. Then I guess I'll have to make one from the outside. Izuki, give me a pass."

Everyone stared blankly at the seemingly relaxed captain, "Huh?"

"Since Touou's defense is especially hard on the inside right now, I'll steal a bit of attentions on the outside. Anyways, let's start building things up from that," Hyuga explained and flexed his shoulder.

Riko gave the man a smile, "Okay. We're counting on you, Hyuga-kun!"

"Yeah," he nonchalantly replied.

I could see the confidence radiating from him at that moment. Right then, I knew we could count on him.

I smiled and clenched my hands into fists once he got his hands on the ball. In a swift movement, Hyuga successfully completed his shot. It was a truly flawless, beautiful shot—Barrier Jumper.

"And his habit was coming out too! He was cracking his neck, right? The only time Hyuga does that, is only when he's at his very best!" Koga cheered.

I beamed, remembering all the practice that Hyuga did with Kagetora to arrive at this point.

* * *

_"I already told you, that's not right!" Kagetora angrily karate chopped Hyuga on the head, "That's only a normal back step. Pay more attention to your posture. Haven't I told you? Gravity is what's important."_

_ I watched and listened as Hyuga listened with confusion._

_ "Speed is the same thing as how fast you can move your center of gravity. Moving the heaviest part of your body requires the most energy and if you also want to go fast, you need explosive muscle power. That's why you don't move it. From the start, leave your center of gravity behind you! All the while, keep your posture normal so that your opponent doesn't notice," Kagetora explained once again._

_ "Now, remember it with you body! Come on, one more time!"_

_ "Y-Yes!"_

* * *

"Wow! Another one! Two in a row!" the audience's murmurs spread across the courts as Hyuga shot another one of his special shots.

Albeit Hyuga's successful shots, Sakurai also managed to score a goal from a far. It was a forceful shot. Even though it seemed like it wouldn't go it, the shot managed to make it through the hoop.

Touou wasn't going down.

"Sakurai Ryo. He's may seem like a scaredy cat on the outside, however his shots are a great threat to the opponent. The tougher the opponents are, the more accurate his shots," I whispered out to Riko, who continued staring at the match.

"Heh, well he's finally found an opponent then. Hyuga-kun hates losing as well. More importantly, he's just as proud of his shooting!" Riko exclaimed.

I watched as the match started again. This time, it was a competition of three point shots. It wasn't the best game plan, however for both Seirin and Touou, losing this competition would mean losing the game.

"It went in! Five seconds remaining!"

"Is the first quarter going to end with Touou leading...?"

I bit my lip. No...there has to be a way. Even if it was risky.

Just as I thought that, Kuroko got his hands on the ball and used his invisible drive through the opponents and passed the ball over to Hyuga. He finally managed a three pointer before the buzzer sounded. The first quarter ended with a score of 22-22.

"They're tied! Seirin's amazing! They caught up at the buzzer!"

"It's not a fluke...! Seirin High School...they're strong!"

Coach and I headed over to the players as they rested for a while.

"We're managing somehow for now. Shouldn't we take Kuroko off the court to save him for later?" Kagami asked.

Kuroko looked up, "No...I can go for a little while longer. Coach...right when the second quarter starts, let me do it one more time—Vanishing Drive."

Riko and I stared at him worriedly.

"Even though we're tied, we're really barely hanging on. I don't want to hold back," Kuroko elaborated his intentions.

Kiyoshi voiced his opinion, "It'll let us attack first, but...I don't know. If we overuse it, there's a chance they'll figure out the trick. We shouldn't be reckless."

After a pause, we all turned to Riko, "Alright, do it! It's better than becoming passive. It's important to stay one step ahead at all times. They figure out the drive's mechanism sooner or later. But even if they figure it out, it doesn't matter. It's not a trick that can be used all the time anyways. In exchange, if the conditions are right, even with that knowledge, they can't stop it. It's that kind of a trick."

The drive is a 'duck in' that moves diagonally. The human eye can follow vertical and horizontal movements but it's not good at diagonal movements. On top of that, Kuroko is good at reading people's line of vision so he sinks down at particularly difficult angles.

With this, most people will already be unable to stop him, but at most, it will be an 'almost vanishing drive'. When a certain condition has been met, the Vanishing Drive is complete. An that is Kagami.

Kagami's presence on the court is above the rest. In that aspect, he may be as good as Aomine. On the court, the ball is the object with the most presence. Because of that, Kuroko normally can't perform misdirection when he has the ball. However, he's improved now and can misdirect the opponent for just a second. By doing a diagonal 'duck in' at the moment when the opponent's eyes are drawn to Kagami, that's how the Vanishing Drive works.

In other words, the Vanishing Drive can only be used when the opponent can see Kagami.

Before Kuroko went back out, I grabbed his wrist, "Te-chan."

He turned and gave me a smile, "It'll be fine, Miho-chan."

"Te-chan. If Dai-chan manages to beat it, you must stay calm and believe in your teammates. Don't lose spirit," I gave him a reassuring smile.

He nodded, "I won't. I definitely—"

"The second quarter is starting."

"Thank you, Miho-chan. I'll be going now," he nodded towards me and stepped back out onto the court with everyone.

I gave him a firm nod, "Good luck...!"

Right after the second quarter started, there was a one-on-one between Aomine and Kuroko. At this point, there was only one thing to do. I felt my heart start thumping uncontrollably in my chest. My chest tightened as I watched the face off. To face off against Kuroko like that, Aomine definitely had something up his sleeve. Or maybe it was just the radiating confidence he had in himself...

I was right. After Kuroko passed Aomine for a second, the man somehow followed him and snatched the ball away. When we got a clear view of Aomine, his eyes were closed.

Riko gasped, "It's true that without looking at Kagami-kun, you reaction wouldn't slow down...but did he move by feeling Kuroko's breathing and rhythm? Is such a thing even..."

My eyes widened and I covered my mouth with my hand.

_"Really, I wonder why. Tetsy and I don't agree on anything else, but we mesh when it's basketball."_

The bonds of being old partners could never be separated—no matter how hard one tried.

"No way! The Vanishing Drive Kuroko invented to defeat the Generation of Miracles, which even Midorima couldn't counter...was broken...!"

I couldn't help but just stare wide eyed at the boy. It was bad—this was really bad. I'm not too sure of the details of the events that occurred after I left for America, however once thing was for certain. Aomine left Kuroko.

Everyone was shocked. Riko was going to immediately request a time-out. An even score after the first quarter—but that was the result of Seirin going all out against Touou, who haven't given their everything yet. That meant that Seirin hand nothing to spare, in either mentality or stamina. Under these circumstances, the trump card Kuroko was defeated. The team was unbelievably shaken.

We had a foreboding that the point difference would widen like a little hole in dam—we wanted to prevent that. But—

I clenched my fists as Kuroko's morale was completely shattered from Aomine defeating his new pass as well. With Aomine's hands on the ball, the point gap slowly started to widen.

"My foreboding was right. Please, hurry and stop the clock...!" Riko gasped.

And finally—

"Seirin High School takes a timeout!"

Riko and I hurried over to the players.

"For now, we'll switch Kuroko-kun out," Riko told the team.

There was a pause before Kuroko spoke up, "Okay."

We could see him grip his arm as he panted under the towel.

"Te-chan..." I whispered as I turned to Riko, "Ri-chan, I give him some taping."

She nodded. He was already feeling the side effects of the new pass...

As I taped his wrist, Kuroko whispered, "Miho-chan, I'm fine already. I can do the rest myself."

I stared at him before passing the taping tools to Furihata, "Furihata-kun, can you please do the taping for the rest of the team."

"Ah, yes," the boy nodded and walked off.

I sat beside Kuroko silently as he gripped the towel and shut his eyes, "Mn...Damn it."

I could feel the tears threatening to spill from my own eyes. I knew how much he wanted to win this—how much he wanted to see Aomine smile while playing again. I was the same. I wanted to win too.

I knew how much effort his put into this game—all the nights he spent training alone. His determination, strength, willpower.

Oh geez, I was supposed to be comforting him. Why was I sobbing here as well?

"T-Te-chan...It's not useless! He's just a dumb Ahomine, Te-chan! Tai-chan and the rest of them will pay them back!" I gripped his shoulders and met his gaze.

At that moment, Kagami walked over and gave us both a pat on the head, "Yeah. Miho's right. It's not useless, idiot. Everyone believes in you—that you definitely will come back. No stepping down this time. Meanwhile, I'll teach him a lesson. That no effort is useless."

I looked up at the big red head with tear filled eyes. He gave me a firm nod before walking up onto the court.

At that moment, I thought this: Kagami doesn't doubt him. He has faith in him, but he won't expect anything. There's no meaning if he comes back and it's too late. Winning against Aomine or not, that doesn't matter. This time, he'll definitely save Kuroko!

Wiping away my tears, I gave the smaller boy a squeeze of his hand and hugged him for a while. Momoi was probably glaring daggers at me, but I didn't care this moment.

"Te-chan..." I smiled after I released him, "Let's hope Tai-chan keeps his promise, alright? In the mean time, everyone's waiting for you to come back. You're strong, and I truly believe that no effort is useless."

He stared at me for a while before giving a small smile, "Thank you, Miho-chan."

I watched the match again, sitting beside Kuroko this time.

The match started off well with a good cooperation between Kiyoshi and the rest of the team. We scored at dunk quickly. However, what happened after that was the surprising part.

It was finally time for the real showdown between Kagami and Aomine.

Kagami positioned himself in a posture just like Aomine's. What...is this...?

In the blink of an eye, Kagami tried to swipe the ball away from Aomine but...the guy was faster and ran towards the goal.

* * *

_"Riko, Miho. Remember how I told you two that being good buddies in not team-play? That's especially true for Kagami," Kagetora started as the others left for their game of cops and robbers._

_ "Eh?" we both turned._

_ "His potential shouldn't be inferior to the Generation of Miracles. Still, until now, there hasn't been a single time where he was their equal in a one-on-on. Why do you think that is?"_

_ "The answer is simple. Somewhere in his heart, he's relying on Kuroko. I don't know if he thinks he has to join up with Kuroko to defeat the Generation of Miracles, but that's actually hindering his potential. Joining powers in itself isn't wrong...but there's only a meaning to it if it brings out a hundred percent of your strength. I can only call it a dilemma...as long as Kuroko stays the sixth person he relies on, Kagami will stay incomplete. But on the other hand, if he can bring out his one hundred percent, he's capable of standing on equal ground with the Generation of Miracles."_

* * *

Kagetora was right. When Kuroko was defeated, it seemed like the seal on Kagami was finally released.

With that, I watched in shock as Kagami hit the ball out of Aomine's hands as he prepared to shoot.

He stopped letting himself just be saved and took the saving upon himself. Thus, releasing the strength he had unconsciously suppressed until now... This is Kagami Taiga's real strength...!

* * *

A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or any of the characters.

Ahhh, I'm so sorry I didn't update yesterday! I was working on the first few chapters of the prequel, haha. Well, since I actually have a chapter and a half of the prequel written, do you guys want me to post it? Or do you want me to continue the updates with this one? If I start on both the prequel and this story, I probably wont be able to update this story mostly everyday until school starts. I hope you can give me your opinion!

I think there should me two more chapters until this tiresome match finally ends. You should get a fairly clear idea of Miho's skill after this match. It's her real skill aside from finding habits and training. Also, a piece of trivia, Miho was the assistant trainer back in Teiko. I just actually decided this and well, it fits!

Anyways, thank you all for the amazing and lovely reviews! I really enjoy them! They are my motivation for writing this story! Please keep reviewing! Thank you all so much!

I love you all!

~Yuvi


	14. 赌 － Gamble

**Chapter 14: 赌 － ****Gamble**

He stopped letting himself just be saved and took the saving upon himself. Thus, releasing the strength he had unconsciously suppressed until now... This is Kagami Taiga's real strength...!

We all watched dumbfounded at the match that was unfolding before us. Kuroko was also staring intently at the match.

It seems that Aomine has finally acknowledged Kagami. The whole atmosphere of the match completely changed. Since the beginning, Aomine hadn't been flinching, not even during crucial plays. However, he's looking differently at the awakened Kagami now. That means he acknowledges Kagami but at the same time, he's gotten serious...!

"No come and entertain me, Kagami!" Aomine's shout could be heard from the sidelines where we watched.

With the blink of an eye, Aomine moved at an incredible speed, higher than before. However, Kagami seemed to be keeping up well with him. Aomine tossed the ball up and tried do an alley-op by himself...! However, Kagami wasn't left behind. The two completely neglected the rest of the players on the court and played a one-on-one match, technically.

With a swift movement, Kagami made a basket as well. Poor Koga was completely ignored.

"Uwahh! Seirin scores!"

"Actually, is that number ten for real?! He's equal to that Aomine?!"

The match continued with the aces going one-on-on against each other once again. The team couldn't even help any of them since the levels were too different...! However, the balance may be lost soon. The two were giving it their all, but they're still not at one hundred percent. Slowly but steadily, they're nearing that point...

When Aomine shot his formless shot, Kagami managed to block it...! I could hear and see the gasps of all the people watching. It was shocking. I had no clue that Kagami had this much strength and potential...!

I could feel Te-chan freeze up beside me. His eyes were widened as he stared. Our team cheered, yet it was still unbelievable. Could it be...that Kagami's better than Aomine...?!

"Whoa, for real?! That Aomine...is having trouble attacing?!"

"It can't be!"

The match was progression so quickly—I felt that a huge portion of it would disappear in just a blink...!

Aomine got into the stance to throw the ball, then quickly changed to a dribble. Kagami wasn't a second left behind, however. He immediately put his defense on Aomine...!

What was happening? My brain struggled to process the sight in front of me. I knew that Kagami's potential was great. Up until now, even if it was difficult, he managed to keep up with the Generation of Miracles. Now, he gotten Aomine serious. Even so, Aomine has a faster top speed. Why is Kagami able to keep up...?!

A natural stance, and from there, a superhuman reaction time—animal instincts...?!

Everyone is born with it and loses it when they grow up. However, there are those who haven't lost it. Although they didn't become that way because they wanted to, they're the people who will make it in a world where the fittest survive. In other words, you cannot be gifted with animal instinct—it's a strength you gain from training.

In basketball, when all five sense are heightened like that, it's possible to react faster than you can predict the opponent's moves. Even if you can jump higher than others, if you can't jump faster as well, there's no point. That's because it takes that much longer to get to the highest point. Kagami's jumping ability will show it's true value only when combined with animal instinct.

Quickly snatching the rebound, Kagami grabs the ball and aims for the basket with three seconds left on the clock...!

"A formless shot...?!" I gasped as he shot with the stance.

"It missed! But that was close...?!"

"It's the half-time break now. The second half, third quarter will start in ten minutes."

* * *

"Te-chan," I called out to the boy who was relaxing on the railing of the balcony of the Winter Cup building.

Kagami tossed him his jacket beside me, "You'll get a cold, idiot."

Kuroko turned around, "Miho-chan, Kagami-kun."

"Better get back soon or the second half's going to start," Kagami told Kuroko.

"Sorry, I'll be there soon," the smaller boy said, while putting on his jacket.

Both Kagami and I stared worriedly at him, "Te-chan, what were you thinking about? You seem fine now, but I don't think you came her just for the fresh breeze."

"Miho-chan, Kagami-kun...do you like basketball?" he asked us.

We both stared at him in confusion, "Well, yeah...?"

"I wasn't thinking about anything complicated. I just want to win this match no matter what. There's my promise to Momoi-san of course, but the truth is, I just...want to see...one more time... Aomine-kun always played with a smile. He really loved basketball. I don't intend to reject the way he plays now and lecture him arrogantly. Just...just once more. I want to see Aomine-kun playing with a smile."

After his words, I felt that in my heart, Kuroko was the one who was hurt the most by Aomine's change. He was his best friend and partner—to lose all that in one night. It must've pained him, a lot.

"Te-chan...I feel the same way, you know. I won't be here rambling on my past, but the reason I fell in love with basketball was because of Dai-chan! I disliked anything related to sports before. However, his passion made me really enjoy the sport. You know, sometimes, I was glad I was forced to leave for America. I don't think I could've handled all the change that happened after I left," I smiled sadly at the sky and reached out, "If we can win this game, then maybe..."

"Who knows...I don't know about that," Kagami cut in, "People aren't so simple. Even if we win, who knows if he'll change or not. But if we lose, the for sure, nothing will change from before. The only thing we can do is play hard in order to win, right?"

With those words, he turned around and walked away with both of his hands in his pockets.

Kuroko and I looked at each other before both letting out a small smile, "Yes."

* * *

"Oh! Both teams are out!"

"Finally, the second half is starting!"

The crowd cheered as we exited onto the court.

"As of now, the second half, third quarter will begin. Intermission has ended."

With Kagami's awakening, we managed to stay only two points behind during the first half...but that's still not enough. In order to win, Kuroko was indispensable.

With the buzzer, the match started. Aomine immediately go the ball after a few setbacks and then passed Kagami in an instant.

However, he was quickly stopped by Kuroko, who predicted his movements and gave him a foul.

I smiled, it was good that he hasn't given up yet. Even though Aomine was blocking him off, he was doing his best to support the team to the best of his ability.

After a while, Kuroko passed an Ignite Pass to Hyuga, who shot a three pointer.

Everyone seemed shocked that Hyuga was able to catch the pass.

Riko put on a grin, "...That's how much we've grown...! With their improved physical strength, now all the members can catch a normal Ignite Pass."

I smiled, for the first time in the whole match, Seirin started leading.

"It's an upset! For the first time in the match, Seirin's leading...!"

The crowd cheered, however my eyes focused on the change in atmosphere on the court.

The captain of the team had a dark and gloomy aura around him. Something sent shivers down my back.

"This...isn't good...Something bad's going to happen..." I whispered.

Riko looked at me, "Miho-chan, what's wrong?"

"I'm not too sure...but Imayoshi-san..." I replied, focusing my gaze on the match.

Even though we had _that_, if we use it too early then...

My premonition soon came to reality. Touou managed to score a point and then Imayoshi started his guard on Kuroko. It was strange, because Kuroko couldn't escape the guard at all...!

Until now, Kuroko's pass had been stopped a few times, however he managed to get through with new passes and drives. But this was different. Kuroko couldn't throw off the guard.

"It's Sa-chan," I stated to myself, "She figured it out."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Riko turned to me.

"Te-chan doesn't disappear during the entire match. Normally, he's just hard to notice. Because of that, the opponents stare at him so that they don't miss him. However, that's what make them easy to misdirect. The more you try to look at him, the worse it is. It just becomes easier to fall into misdirection," I explained.

"So he's not looking at him?" Riko asked.

"That's right...Te-chan uses misdirection when coordinating with the others. Right before that, he must make eye contact with the other player," I started.

"And that eye contact is like a mirror reflecting him. If you look at where that player is, that's where Kuroko-kun will be. To guard him without losing sight of him, you have to look at the player giving the pass after eye-contact rather than him, and move in that direction. It sounds like a Momoi thing for sure," Riko bit her lip, "However to do it so perfectly..."

"Imayoshi-san is extremely smart. He is also someone into playing mind games. He knows exactly what Te-chan's thinking," I stated out he blunt truth.

Suddently, the captain made a three pointer. Even though Hyuga got his hands on the ball, the other team found out the weakness to his shot.

"Sa-chan..." I whispered.

While the team was half in distress, the one-on-one battle between Kagami and Aomine also started.

I knew Kagami has grown...but why do I feel so uneasy...?

Kagami got his hands on the ball and stilled for a moment. However, in a split second, Aomine hit the ball out of Kagami's hands. Once Aomine got his hands on the ball, nobody could stop him at all. Even Kagami's jump couldn't stop him. Aomine did a 360 in the air and dodged.

"That guy...don't tell me..." Riko whispered.

"It looks like, Tai-chan isn't the only one with Animal Instinct..." I replied.

This was looking pretty bad. If this continues, the point gap would only widen, and we would have to us _it._

At that moment, what Kagami felt was no longer frustration for defeat. It was a pure feeling of respect because Aomine had reached the pinnacle as a basketball player.

As the match progressed, the point gap kept widening. Kuroko couldn't shake off the captain that was guarding him either.

The audience and everyone, including the Generation of Miracles, were thinking the same thing: they're out of options—Seirin has lost.

* * *

_"Te-chan," I walked over to Kuroko the day after we tied against Shutoku._

_ We were alone on a basketball court outside._

_ "Miho-chan, what did you call me here for?" he asked._

_ I picked up the basketball off of the ground and dribbled it lightly, "Well, I've been thinking lately...about something you can do."_

_ He stared at me for a while before speaking, "What do you mean?"_

_ "You...completely your drive in the match against Shin-chan, right?" I asked, and shot the basketball. Surprisingly, I made the shot._

_ "Yes, I did," Kuroko stated._

_ Picking up the basketball, I turned to Kuroko, "Have you ever thought...of something that's the opposite of misdirection?"_

_ Kuroko widened his eyes, "Miho-chan, you're doing it again, aren't you? Your skill, the Skill Giver."_

_ I let out a small laugh, "I hate being called that name. Besides, Sei-chan can do it a lot better than me. Anyways, have you ever thought about directing everyone's gaze _to_ you instead of away?"_

_ The blue haired boy thought for a while, "I think I understand, Miho-chan."_

_ With that, I gave off another small laugh, "You were always a fast learner, Te-chan."_

* * *

On the court, after a few words exchanged with Imayoshi, the team seemed a lot more pumped up than before.

"We'll win now!" Kuroko announced to everyone.

Everyone in Seirin cheered. Even Nigou gave a little bark.

That's right. There was no way we would lose here. Everything was on the line for this match. This would be the last tournament that Kiyoshi would be able to play in. Also, I wanted to see Aomine's passion in basketball once more.

"Your phantom sixth man's misdirection has run out. Spirit won't make a difference," Imayoshi told the team.

Izuki grinned, "That's not quite right...It didn't run out. We made it run out...!"

I pulled my fingers into a fist and got ready to see what Kuroko managed to come up with.

In an instant, Izuki dribbled pass Imayoshi and made a shot. Imayoshi couldn't react at all...!

The results were better than I expected. Kuroko really looked into everything I said, huh.

Everyone was startled—even Momoi stood up and let out a surprised expression.

"He didn't disappear, he was made to disappear!" Riko grinned.

"It wasn't a meaningless decision to put him in at the start of the third quarter. A move that can only be used when misdirection has run out—Te-chan's ultimate trump card: Misdirection Overflow...!" I smiled.

"Wha—what the heck was that?!" the audience roared.

At that moment, Hyuga got his hands on the ball, and also invisibly charged pass Sakurai. He made a shot. Now there was only a ten point difference...!

* * *

_"You're going in at the start of the third quarter?" Riko exclaimed during the break._

_ "It's true that it'll be hard for us without Kuroko, but...will misdirection last until the end that way?!" Hyuga asked._

_ Kuroko shook his head, "...No, it won't last. That's why...I'll make it run out."_

_ "Wha...when what do we do after? At this rate, wouldn't it run out at the end of the third quarter at best?" the team exclaimed._

_ I looked at him, "Te-chan...is this what you came up with?"_

_ "It's what Miho-chan came up with. I said the effect would run out, but...more accurately, it means the opponents won't be able to take their eyes off of me," Kuroko stated._

_ "Heh, directing them the opposite way, and focusing their glances on you. They won't take your eyes off of you because it's as if a tenth player has suddenly appeared on a court that previously hand only nine, right?" I asked._

_ "Yes. Right afterwards, I'll become the easiest target to direct glances to. Everyone else needs to match their play to that," Kuroko finished._

_ I paused before continuing, "But...this move has several risks. The first is time...if can only be used at the end of the game, and directing the opponents' eyes towards Te-chan can't last long either—at most until the end of the game... And also, it's throwing away the future. When the move is used, Te-chan is essentially doing magic tricks while revealing how it works."_

_ "Which means that..." Riko started._

_ "Yes, after that match ends, misdirection won't ever work on Touou ever again," I finished._

* * *

Both Touou and Seirin are in the Tokyo division, which means we'll have to play against each other many times in the future. However, no matter how much Kagami and the others grow, Touou's an opponent you cannot defeat without a trump car. Which means, to take this huge gamble, Seirin has thrown away the possibility of winning against Touou after this.

But we _need_ to win this year. We'll all think about the future...when the time comes.

With the score being 62-70, there's an eight-point difference. We were slowly catching up.

However, with two seconds left, Imayoshi threw a three pointer.

"Tsk. He aimed to get that in? They live up to their name as the tyrant runner-up of the Inter-high...this is...Touou Academy!" Riko exclaimed.

"The third quarter has ended. We will now have a two minute intermission."

During the intermission, I taped Kiyoshi's leg again and we exchanged some encouraging words. Kuroko gave me a smile through his panting and I smiled back.

They're strong, but we'll definitely win!

"The intermission is over. The fourth quarter will now start."

This was it. The last ten minutes.

However, never in my life would I have predicted what happened next.

First, we started the match with Hyuga's three pointer.

However, right after that, Aomine got his hands on the ball and on his face flashed a determined smile.

I widened my eyes in shock—the pencil that I held dropped out of my hand completely. He's...returned to the old Aomine...?

"Miho-chan?" Riko asked as I stared dumbfounded at the match.

"He's back. This is trouble, yet delightful at the same time..." I whispered.

I watched as Aomine landed a dunk and the score when back to a ten-point difference.

After that, Hyuga scored a three pointer despite the pressure. I couldn't take my eyes off the match at all. When Sakurai got his hands on the ball, he passed it to Aomine, who took a shot.

Kiyoshi, when up and blocked and ended up fouling. Yet, the shot still went in. When the defense makes a foul at the same time as a shot and the shot goes in, one free throw is awarded.

The ref blew the whistle, "Pushing! White jersey number seven! Basket counts! One free throw! It's a three point play!"

At this moment, I realized. Touou Academy does not value the concept of team play—a super heavy focus on individual ability. Because of this, the payers do not generally work together or even attempt to stay on the same page. But, even so, they have a common understanding. They have a thirst for victory and...an absolute trust in the ace—In Aomine's strength.

With that, the basket flew in and a ten-point difference washed over the scoreboard once again. As the match progressed, the difference stopped shrinking.

At that moment, Kuroko, Kagami and Kiyoshi teamed up together to stop Aomine. However, the moment, Kagami let his guard down, Aomine moved to shoot a basket. After that, Kagami moved up to block the shot. However, Aomine dodged once again an moved to shoot the ball from below.

What was surprising was that the shot missed...!

I grinned, "Heh, Te-chan, you made use of my skill and recreated it, huh."

Riko turned to me, "What?"  
"Te-chan used overflow to direct Dai-chan's focus away from the ring for a split second as he shoots. It won't have much effect on a regular shot, but if he's moving at a fast speed while aiming for the ring, it's a different matter. Even a split second gap in his vision will be amplified if he's moving fast. This is the true meaning of Te-chan's skill. A misdirection used to lower the shooting accuracy of a fast moving opponent. He created it to counter Aomine. I gave him the basic idea, and he completely reformed it. I sometimes can't get over how smart Te-chan is..." I explained.

With that, Seirin got the ball and lowered the point gap down to a six-point gap. When Seirin put on some heavy defense, Hyuga managed to get the ball. In order to stop him, Sakurai charged forward to try and stop Hyuga.

The whistle blew, "Pushing! Black number nine!"

Since the foul happened during a shooting defense maneuver with a three pointer...it's three free throws!

"Seirin's amazing!"

"I don't know how this will end anymore!"

The crowd shouted as we all cheered. If they get one more three pointer...it'll be a draw!

However, at the shooting, Aomine wasn't in his set position. He must be planning something...!

After the shooting ended, Aomine immediately went and scored a point.

I dropped my pencil again.

_Click_

'Zone'—focusing on your movements without having any unnecessary thoughts. It's an extremely focused state that goes beyond a normal concentration. Although it can bring out everything that the player possesses, it's a phenomenon that even a top athlete can only come across accidentally. Only ones that have accumulated practice after practice is allowed to stand in front of that door. But even still, it will only open on a whim. It's the ultimate territory where only the chosen may enter.

However, Aomine's natural talent laughs at such a thing, and forces the door open.

* * *

A/N: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or any of the characters.

First of all, a huge apology for those who have not read the manga to just end the chapter there! I felt it was necessary to stop writing, haha. Besides, you also got a little glimpse of Miho's true skill, the Skill Giver. It's kind of like how Akashi can see the potential of the players and give them hints, except Miho's not as confident in it as Akashi is. Also, I'm still debating over whether or not to have Miho discover Kuroko's talent before Akashi in the prequel. But that's for later. Haha. ^_^

Anyways, I posted my prequel, if you all don't already know. It's called 'Through My Heart' and it has one chapter so far! I'll probably try to take turns with the updating between the two stories. Updating both once a day is probably impossible. Also, school starts on September 4th, thus, I will definitely not be updating once a day from there on - probably once a week at most.

Anyways, I hope you all read my prequel! It's in third person, and it underlines the key factors of Miho's past that was not explained in this story, like Aomine and Miho's past and also how Midorima and Miho got together. I've got to say, Midorima and Miho are so far pretty funny to write about (since Miho thinks he's a weirdo at first).

Anyways, please keep supporting this story and hopefully the prequel as well! I'll keep updating as fast as possible! Read and review please! I really want those reviews! Haha.

Anyways, really thank you all so much for reading this story! Please check out the prequel and I love you all!

~Yuvi


	15. 败局 － Defeat

**Through the Hoop**

**Chapter 15 – 败局 － ****Defeat**

'Zone'—focusing on your movements without having any unnecessary thoughts. It's an extremely focused state that goes beyond a normal concentration. Although it can bring out everything that the player possesses, it's a phenomenon that even a top athlete can only come across accidentally. Only ones that have accumulated practice after practice is allowed to stand in front of that door. But even still, it will only open on a whim. It's the ultimate territory where only the chosen may enter.

However, Aomine's natural talent laughs at such a thing, and forces the door open.

My blue orbs widened in shock as I just froze and stared at the match before me.

It's impossible to bring out your one hundred percent of your ability in an actual match. Even for top-level players who are at the height of their concentration, eighty percent is the max. Aomine has been fighting with that eighty percent until now. But the 'zone' makes the one hundred percent possible. Moreover, one hundred percent of an Aomine class player is a totally unimaginable field. The actual players will be at least double the speed.

With Aomine in the 'zone' nobody could even react to his advances. Slowly, the point gap started increasing more and more. Even with the triple team of Kuroko, Kagami and Kiyoshi, Aomine couldn't be stopped. Because of the 'zone', Misdirection Overflow's hampering of shooting accuracy has stopped working.

Aomine...was completely unstoppable.

"Seirin High School timeout!"

Seeing the huge change in pace, Riko immediately requested for a timeout. I hurriedly got the bottles and towels ready for the players. It was then when Kagami made a ridiculous request.

"Captain, please let me take Aomine one-on-one," Kagami claimed.

We all stopped and looked at him, "Take Aomine one-on-one?!"

"He's a monster who can't even be stopped with three people!"

"Do you have some sort of plan?"

Hearing our exclamations, Kagami whispered, "No...I don't have one. But I'll do it. I have no intention of taking down the Generation of Miracles by myself anymore and I'll gladly sit on the bench if it's for the sake of the team's victory. However, he is someone I have to beat by myself."

The team was silent before Hyuga swung his arm around Kagami, "Alright. Two minutes. You're the ace. Do whatever you like. Meanwhile, we will do everything we can to fight back."

"Tai-chan, we believe in you!" I added with a smile.

Once again, the match started. However, this time Kagami fought Aomine one on one. Even so, Kagami was easily bypassed. Not only that, Misdirection Overflow started running out as well.

Luckily, Kuroko blocked a ball from going out at the last minute and we managed to score a point.

There was only one thing that was on all of our minds right now—we believe in our ace as well!

I'm sure that Kagami would be able to overcome Aomine—I really did believe it.

Our cheers echoed across the huge stadium with the massive amount of audience—our cheers of belief for Kagami.

And then, I felt a shiver. It was the same kind of shiver I felt when Aomine first entered the 'zone'. Widening my eyes, I stared at Kagami as he managed to catch up to Aomine.

"No way...Kagami-kun too? He went in to 'zone'!" Riko exclaimed.

At that moment, Aomine's happy smiled could be seen on his face.

I felt my tears flowing out as he laughed, "...I'll take back what I said before. Kagami, you're the best...!"

The clashing was extremely intense. For a whole minute already...nobody scored...! Both of their concentration and reaction speeds whilst in the 'zone' are completely past their limits. It's a stalemate.

Even so, my tears wouldn't stop.

"Dai-chan...you look so happy," I whispered as I covered my mouth and cried my tears.

The fireworks emitted by the two aces completely mesmerized everyone in the gym, and it seemed like it would go on forever—some even started wishing for that. However, the end came abruptly.

It was a sudden move. Kagami passed Aomine with a swift movement and shot the ball. With that, Seirin was back to a three point gap.

"Yeah! Kagami!" we all cheered for our ace with smiles and tears on our faces.

This was the 'zone's' time limit. Although the 'zone' brings out one hundred percent of the a player's strength, the price is also pretty big. But, Kagami has support. Thus, he can still remain fighting. The cheers and tears of his teammates can make him go on.

"It's not just one person's power...! It's for the sake of everyone that...I'll win no matter what!" Kagami yelled as he performed a formless shot.

I watched as Aomine fell down onto the ground and as Seirin scored another point. With thirty seconds left on the clock, there was only a one-point gap...!

Touou's coach was going to take a timeout, however after talking to Aomine, he took the timeout back.

The thirty seconds started and even with Seirin's heavy defense, Aomine managed to shoot a ball into the ring from behind the backboard. He wasn't out—not even close.

With at three point difference and no time, the audience raged with cheers for Seirin. Everyone prayed for someone to go do something. Misdirection overflow has completely run out as well...!

When Kagami go the ball to go dunk, he realized that the dunk would be stopped. However, the practice with his left hand paid off and he passed the ball to Kiyoshi.

I watched as Kiyoshi feinted the ball and purposely made the opponent foul while still scoring a point.

"Defense! Pushing by black number six! Basket count, one throw!"

There was a one-point gap and one free throw. If they made this, the score would be tied. Our teammates were truly amazing. With Kiyoshi's on-purpose foul creation and Kagami's assist!

In the first place, Kagami has been practicing handling the ball with his left hand ever since the summer in order to enhance his aerial skills...despite that, the wasn't able to use that because he was too focused on the opponent in front of him. But...to master that in the head of the moment thanks to the 'zone'. For him to pass in that split second...

"One shot!" the ref called.

If the shot goes in, it will be an overtime. With an overtime, Seirin would definitely lose. We would have to missed the shot, steal that and then make it. That would be the only way to win. If there was hope, then Kagami would be the only one to be able to do it.

Our last play of this match—rebound battle!

As planned, the shot missed and Kagami grabbed the ball with his large hand. However, Aomine blocked the ball from going in. With Imayoshi being free, Touou's team widened their eyes in happiness. However, they didn't notice the small shadow reaching the ball before them. Kuroko Tetsuya.

Imayoshi was shocked. Even he, who was on the same team as Aomine believed for a moment that Kagami would get the ball in.

"Did you believe in Aomine more than Kagami?!" Imayoshi exclaimed.

"No...I believed in both of them," Kuroko smiled, doing his cyclone pass, "But there's only one who I believe would win at the very end! Kagami-kun!"

With that, the ball flew pass all the players and into Kagami's hands.

"Go...Go Kagami...!" we all shouted at the top of our lungs.

There, I remembered Kuroko's exchange with Aomine a long time ago from back in Teiko.

_"That's wrong."_

_ "What?!"_

_ "I bet someone more amazing that Aomine-kun will appear soon."_

It wasn't soon. But with the last beautiful and perfect dunk, Seirin's win flashed on the scoreboard. The win...the win was ours...!  
"Time's up!"

We all erupted into cheers of happiness. I collapsed onto the floor and laughed out loud while crying my tears of happiness. I hugged Riko while we both cried and laughed at the same time.

However, after our cheers were over, I saw Aomine standing there with a dumbfounded expression.

"I...lost? I see...so I actually...lost."

I stood up again and widened my eyes as I cried at the scene. His face...it was so innocent and yet sad at the same time. My heart ached at the expression on his face. Yet—it was so much more beautiful and happy than the arrogant one he always held.

"Line up!" the ref called as the teams gathered. Suddenly, Kuroko's knees budged and he almost fell.

"Te-chan!" I exclaimed.

However, luckily, Kagami caught him and supported him to the line.

"Geez, you can barely stand without a support...Can't even tell which side has actually won. But...I guess that's how it should be," Aomine muttered to Kuroko with a dejected expression.

At that moment, Kagami grinned, "Why are you making a face as if it's the end of the world? This is just getting started. Let's play again. I'll take you down anytime."

Aomine's eyes widened before he put on a smirk, "Ha! Shut up, dumbass."

Kuroko watched the exchange and looked at Aomine, "Aomine-kun..."

The tanned skinned boy stared at his former best friend and teammate and had a sad expression of sorry in his eyes, "It's your win, Tetsu."

"Can I ask you for one thing...?" Kuroko asked and placed his fist out, "You have yet to match my fist from that time."

Watching the exchange, my tears that just dried fell out again. It was so sad—everything was so sad. However all the former best friends completely separated and changed.

"Wha...huh? C'mon, who cared about that?" Aomine exclaimed, "It's been ages!"

"No," Kuroko stated blankly, "in the first place, think of how I felt getting ignored."

Seeing the smaller boy's determined expression, Aomine let out a sigh and met Kuroko's fist, "I'm going to win next time around."

"Okay," Kuroko responded.

I don't know how long I cried after that. I don't even know myself why I was crying anymore. Maybe it was the close friendship that those two share that was impossible to break. It was some feeling between heartbreak and happiness. I wasn't sure which.

"By 101 to 100, Seirin High School wins! Bow!"

"Thank you for the match!"

* * *

After the match, we all arrived at the boys change room, and somehow, they all fell asleep right after the match—right there, in the Winter Cup's change room.

Riko and I smiled at each other. Well, they were tired after all.

"Ri-chan, can you excuse me for a while?" I asked after we walked out from the change room.

She looked at me, "Ah, yeah. You're probably going to go and talk to him, right?"

I smiled gently, "Yeah..."

* * *

I found Aomine lying on the grass beside the sidewalk outside the Winter Cup building. He was staring at the sky with a longing expression.

I walked beside him and sat down silently without saying a word.

"Miho," Aomine stated as he continued to stare at the sky and stars.

I smiled, "Ah, it sure it cold tonight...Dai-chan, you're going to catch a cold like this..."

I watched as Aomine turned his head towards me, "Che, whatever. Hey, you free tomorrow?"

I turned with a confused expression on my face, "Um...yeah, I guess. Why?"

"Wanna go shopping together?" he asked.

I widened my eyes, "Huh? B-But..."

"It's not a date, you idiot. I know you already have a boyfriend. I just want to get new basketball shoes. Satsuki's going to drag me everywhere if I ask her. Argh...I wanna practice," Aomine turned away again and stared back at the sky.

I could feel the tears threatening to spill out again as I smiled happily, "Okay...let's go! Dai-chan!"

He sat up and stared at my face, "Geez, why are you crying? You were crying for the whole match today as well? What happened, did your goldfish die?"

I pouted and glared at him at the same time, "...No! I'm just...happy, that your relationship with Te-chan is back to normal...and also..."

"Hm?"

"Never mind," I smiled and wiped my tears away.

I was happy he was back to loving basketball. I was happy that the passion I fell in love with was back.

"Anyways, you should treat me to food tomorrow!" I grinned and stood up.

He raised an eyebrow, "What? What does that have to do with anything, you glutton!"

"I'm not a glutton! Dai-chan...!"

I laughed happily beside the blue haired boy. It was great, hanging out with him like this again.

* * *

Seirin High School Winter Cup first round, cleared!

"Okay is everyone ready? Then let's go!" Riko shouted as we all exited the tournament hall.

Hyuga facepalmed as we walked, "Crap, how did we end up sleeping in the locker room in the middle of winter...?"

"Middle of winter's so...minter," Izuki cracked his usual pun.

"You're the minter, dumbass," Hyuga remarked.

"Well, you guys should all be careful not to catch a cold!" I exclaimed happily while playing with Kuroko's bed head. It was so cute and fluffy!

"Hey, aren't we forgetting something important?" Koganei interrupted with a sheepish smile, "Our victory party!"

"No way in hell!" Hyuga immediately responded.

"Why?!"

"Second round's the day after tomorrow. From third round on, we have a match every day! We don't have time to celebrate, even if we win!" the captain sternly exclaimed.

"I actually think it's a good idea! It's a good thing to get together to celebrate once in a while! It's good team bonding experience as well!" I smiled and gave Kuroko a hug.

He wobbled under my constant hugging and fluffy his hair, "Ugh...Miho-chan..."

I stared at him afterwards and apologized, "Ah, sorry Te-chan...but you look extremely huggable and cute this evening...I'm also bubbling with happiness right now..."

Riko laughed and then grinned, "I agree with Miho-chan on the celebration part! Why don't we all go? Dinner!"

"Huh?! Wait...coach...Nanase..." Hyuga sweat dropped.

"I'm not fooling around. If we have non-stop matches, it's important to let our body recover. For that to happen, it's crucial to eat well and sleep well! Since today was our first national competition and our opponent was Touou, you guys should be pretty stressed. So we should all go together, since I can force-feed if you guys have trouble swallowing," Riko smiled evilly.

"Your reason is so disturbing!" Hyuga exclaimed again.

I added to coach's speech, "I was planning to tell you all a bit about our next opponent anyways as well. So it's not a bad idea for all of us to eat together."

"But I'd like to avoid eating out. It's expensive and you might not get the proper nutrients. We'll all fit if it's my house, but it's too far," Riko sighed.

"We can't just barge into someone's house with this many people," Hyuga added.

"Hm...if we can find a place, I'll gladly cook for everyone," I smiled.

Everyone piped up at this, "Ah, yeah! Nanase's cooking is amazing!"

"Yeah, those bento lunches from training camp were totally delicious!"

I smiled happily at the praise, "Thank you all..."

At this, Kagami spoke up, "Um...my place is pretty close from here... I live alone and we should all fit..."

"Huh?" we all turned to Kagami.

* * *

After we arrived at Kagami's house, Riko and I brought the groceries into the kitchen.

Kagami's place was a really stoic and neat place. There was barely anything there other than some spare magazines and basketball training equipment. It was actually surprisingly neat...

I placed down the last bag in the kitchen. I had been told by the boys of how bad Riko's cooking was—apparently Kuroko said it rivaled Momoi's... Thus, I turned around to the coach and gave her a bright smile.

"Ri-chan~ How about I do the cooking and you get the boys to watch these video tapes to scout our next opponent? Please? I'll get done in a sec!" I grinned.

She looked at me for a while before sighing, "Alright! Be sure to add lots and lots of nutrients!"

I laughed, "Alright, alright..."

Finally, I manager to get Riko out of the kitchen. Letting out a sigh, I started with the dish that we had decided on—hotpot and some healthy beef noodle soup.

After finally finishing everything, I brought the dishes out to everyone, "Alright, it's done!"

I smiled as every excitedly ate the food, "God, Nanase's cooking is amazing."

"I wish she was at the summer camp with us..." Koganei cried tear of happiness while eating the food.

"Yeah...that was a near death experience. I'm so glad Nanase-chan's our manager!"

Riko ate the food, "This is...really good!"

Her eyes sparkled happily and I smiled, "I'm glad you all like it!"

"Miho-chan often made us lunches during the matches in Teiko as well," Kuroko remarked, sipping the soup.

I laughed, remembering the horrified face of Aomine when I first presented him the bentos. He had thought that my cooking was as disastrous as Momoi's.

We chatted and ate and Kuroko and I smiled at each other happily, "Miho-chan, this is great, isn't it?"

I laughed and grinned at the boy, "Yeah, I'm really glad that I went to Seirin."

"Me too," Kuroko smiled and continued eating.

After a while of eating, Kuroko and I noticed Kagami walking outside onto the patio. We turned to each other and followed him.

"Phew..." Kagami sighed and leaned against the railing.

"Howdy," Kuroko stated.

"Hi, Tai-chan!" I smiled

He jumped at our appearances, "Woah! When did you guys..."

"Just now," we both answered.

I laughed for a while before Kuroko spoke up, "Kagami-kun, Miho-chan...thank you so much...for today."

I turned to the boy, "No, I have to be thanking both of you as well..."

"Huh? What's up with you guys all of a sudden?" Kagami asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We don't know...Both Miho-chan and I felt it...Finishing the match and having dinner with everyone...it probably just came to us, well me at least," Kuroko started.

"No, it came to me as well. Really, Tai-chan, both Te-chan and I are really glad that we met you and the other senpai and teammates," I finished with a calming smile.

Kagami scratched his head, "Geez! I swear both of you are the same some times. You both say such embarrassing things so easily! And...we can't be so laid back all the time. Winter Cup's just got started. And despite that, we practically showed all our cards. We can't take others by surprise, anymore. Our matches will just get tougher and tougher."

Kuroko and I smiled at the same time, "Then, we just have to get stronger, and stronger!"

* * *

"Phew...done," I breathed as I finished washing the dishes.

Those boys sure do eat a lot...They ate all the soup and all the vegetables and meat I had prepared for the hotpot.

I dried my hands and cleaned up the kitchen before stepping back out to the living room. I was marveled at the sight before me. Everyone was collapsed onto the ground, snoring or lightly breathing. Even Riko, she had a notebook in her hand and her head leaned against Hyuga as they sat beside each other, leaning against the wall.

I smiled softly and sat down myself beside Kuroko, who had collapsed on the table on my cherry blossom notebook.

I laced my fingers in his light blue hair—really it was so soft... I thought about all the hardships this little boy must've gone through after I left and everyone broke up in the Generation of Miracles. Now, seeing him sleeping with such a peaceful expression, I was really happy.

Feeling a bit sleepy myself, I placed my head between my arms and stared at Kuroko sleeping peacefully. He was so adorable and yet furious at the same time on the court. He was one of the closest people I was to back at Teiko and I feel that I've gotten a lot closer to him ever since entering Seirin. Really, I was glad that I entered Seirin with Kuroko as opposing to Kise, Aomine, or even Midorima. Kuroko made me feel at peace and made me really feel close to both the team and everyone on it.

Sometimes, I feel that maybe I would have to thank my father for making me leave Teiko. I don't think I would've been strong enough to endure the separation of everyone in the Generation of Miracles.

Smiling and keeping my hand in Kuroko's hair, I closed my eyes gently and soon fell asleep along with everyone in the room.

* * *

"Oh wow, it's gotten pretty late," I yawned slightly as I sat up beside Kuroko, "I can't believe I fell asleep as well..."

"It must've been your awe-some cooking, Nanase-chan!" Kiyoshi grinned and ruffled up my hair.

Hyuga picked up his bag, "Everyone get to bed immediately once you get home!"

"Kagami, thanks for letting up crash at your place," Furihata nodded.

"Kagami, can I use the bathroom?" Koga asked.

"It's the one on the right," Kagami told the boy.

I picked up my phone and saw a text from Aomine.

_"I'll pick you up at 8. You'll want to see his match in the afternoon, right? ~Aomine Daiki"_

I smiled. He knew about Midorima's match in the afternoon...!

I was about to text him back when I heard Koga's yell of fright. Turning, I widened my eyes as I saw a woman in a loose tank top and an underwear.

I twitched my eyebrows and freaked out with everyone after she kissed Kagami.

"T-T-T-T-Tai-chan! A-Are you doing something bad behind our backs?!" I shrieked and hid behind Kuroko while covering his eyes, then I remembered he saw Shin-chan and I kiss once. Thus, this caused me blush furiously.

"No!" Kagami yelled.

"Who the hell are you?!" everyone shouted.

* * *

A/N: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or any of the characters.

Hahaha...wrote this at two in the morning again. Sorry for all the errors I know I made in this chapter...! I really wanted to post it for you guys! Next chapter will be...Miho and Aomine's date...? Will something happen between them? Stay tuned and review for the fast update!

Anyways, I'm sure you all noticed that Miho's getting more and more hyper as the story goes on. That's probably more her original character. For those of you that read my prequel, Miho's actually a really serious and mature seeming girl in that story. It will change as she meets all of the Generation of Miracles. However, as they all changed, Miho kind of reverted to her old self as well, kind of.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review, review and review! They really give me the motivation to write! Tomorrow I'll be updating the prequel, but still, please review! I love reviews so much!

Thank you all! Please review and I love you!

~Yuvi


	16. 混乱 - Confusion

**Through the Hoop**

**Chapter 16 – 混乱 ****- Confusion**

"T-T-T-T-Tai-chan! A-Are you doing something bad behind our backs?!" I shrieked and hid behind Kuroko.

"No!" Kagami yelled.

"Who the hell are you?!" everyone shouted.

"What...What are you doing all of a sudden?!" Kagami shouted at the woman.

"What's the matter? It's nothing, isn't it?" the woman asked.

"Why are you here in the first place, Alex!" Kagami responded.

Then, I remembered that Kagami said before the Winter Cup that he was going to see his basketball mentor, Alex...

"Kagami's mentor?!" Riko and I exclaimed at the same time.

"Ah, I've got it! So you guys are Taiga's teammates!" Alex grinned, "I'm Alexandra Gracia. Nice to meet you!"

"Just shut up and put your pants on!" Kagami chucked a pair of pants at Alex.

"Geez, is that how you behave to your teacher?!" Alex complained.

.-.-.-.

I let out a sigh as I made tea for everyone in the kitchen and then passed the cups around with Riko.

"Alexandra Garcia. State champion of college basketball. She even played in Women's National Basketball Association after that," I sighed as I stated the facts in my head.

"For real?!"

The woman looked at me, "Oh, you're a smart one aren't you?"

She neared me and I backed away far from her in fear. She...is kind of scary...

After a while, she sighed, "I retired already. My sight got really bad because of a disease, so I'm a basketball coach now teaching at a small team in my region.?

"Then...why're you in Japan?" Riko asked, taking my place beside the woman.

At that moment, Kagami warned Riko, however it was too late. The woman kissed Riko. I felt sorry for the coach...having her first kiss taken away from a woman... At least, I think it was her first kiss.

At that moment, I covered my ears from the scream that came from Riko's mouth.

After a while of Kagami and Alex fighting and Alex remarking over how flat Riko was, I let out a sigh and pitied the poor coach...

"So why are you in Japan, Alex?" I asked, with Kuroko beside me.

She looked at us before gasping at Kuroko, "W-When did you appear?!"

"I was here from the start."

"Seriously?!"

I sighed, it's been a while since this happened...

"Oh, another girl! She actually has a chest this time!" Alex grinned and came near me.

I shook my head and apologized furiously, "Ah! Sorry, I'm straight!"

She giggled before turning back to Kuroko, "Oh, so you're the one Taiga's been talking about. I see, as I heard, you seem s_u_per duper weak!"

We all deadpanned, "He's not that kind of player!"

"Going back to our original topic, the reason we came to Japan was to see a match. Taiga versus Tatsuya—the match between my two beloved students," Alex smiled.

"Tatsuya...isn't that that the guy from Yosen you met in street ball?!"

I researched about him a bit after researching Murasakibara's school. Himura Tatsuya...Kagami's big-brother figure who has been competing with Kagami in America. They both learned basketball from Alex...

"I was pretty rough right after my retirement because I couldn't accept the situation. Even in the betting games, where I've been playing to release my stress, there was no one who'd dare talk to me. But then, all of a sudden, this brat and Tatsuya came shouting, 'Make us your students!'" Alex started explaining, "I was pretty reluctant at first...but...I was taking care of them every day till sunset, and they'd make such happy faces. By the time I realized...I was also smiling with them. Now, I'm teaching basketball to all sorts of kids, but these two are my very first students. The two have grown, and they're about to fight each other again in Japan. Of course I'll be curious."

"But...it's not decided that we'll fight, yet," I stated.

"What?!"

"We have to win two more matches. And since we don't have any matches tomorrow, we'll only be watching the teams we're interested in..."

"Huh? Really?! Then I'm going too! Take me with you! I was interested in how good Japan's High School Basketball was, too!" Alex exclaimed.

At that moment, I spoke up, "Um...Are you all going to watch the morning matches?"

Riko turned to me, "Ah, no, we'll be watching your boyfriend's match in the afternoon and some of the matches before that."

My eyes lit up, "Alright! I have to go shopping with Dai-chan in the morning, so I'll meet you all at the stadium, alright?"

Everyone blinked at me for a while before opening their mouths, "_What_?! S-Shopping alone with that Aomine?! Wasn't Midorima your boyfriend?!"

"I still can't get over how the sweet Nanase can have those bastards as a love interest in the first place..."

"Miho-chan, that's cheating," Kuroko blinked at me blankly.

I waved my hands, "No, no, no! It's not a date! He just needs me to go shopping for basketball shoes with him! He said that he really wanted to practice so..."

Kuroko smiled at this, "I see..."

Kagami let out a sigh, "Alright, we'll see you there, Miho."

"Okay!"

.-.-.-.

I quickly made the breakfast before running upstairs to choose my clothes. I wasn't even sure why I was so bothered over what I wore. It's not like it was a date...just a regular shopping spree between friends!

In the end, I wore a spaghetti strap dress up to my hips and some thick leggings with a pair of ankle length high-heeled boots. Before I left, I put on the heart pendant necklace that Midorima had given me and grabbed a purse, my brown winter jacket and a scarf.

I had left my hair down today and didn't put on any makeup. If I did, then I really _would_ be dressing for the occasion...!

Aomine leaned against the fence of my front yard and I walked up to him with a smile, "Dai-chan!"

He turned to me and gave me a nonchalant look, "Yo."

We quickly started walking while making some idle chatter. This wasn't too good...it really felt like a date.

Aomine wore some casual shorts and a sweater over a t-shirt. It didn't seem like he thought very much of this. He must've done this with Momoi many times before.

"So, where are we going first today?" I asked as we got onto the train in the train station.

"A shopping district near the Winter Cup building. There are good sports shops there," Aomine stated.

"Alright. You're looking for basketball shoes, right? What's your size?" I asked.

"29.5," Aomine stated.

I widened my eyes, "That's ridiculously big!"

"That's why it's impossible to find shoes. Annoying..." Aomine grumbled.

I laughed, "Well, we have the whole morning! We'll find something, I'm sure!"

He sighed before giving me a smile, "Yeah."

.-.-.-.

"Cram it in!" I ordered as Aomine once again couldn't find the right shoe size.

"Geez, Miho, you were the one who said we had all morning!" Aomine glared at me as we walked to another store.

I glared back, "It's almost lunch time! We went to a hundred stores already! I thought you said that the last one _for_ _sure_ had your size!"

"It did last time!"

"Ah...fine. Let's go to the next one..." I sighed before dragging the boy by the side of his sweater.

We've been going around all morning, yet we still couldn't find his size.

Entering the next shop, I let out a sigh and we both moved to the basketball shoes section.

I talked to the sales person, "Hi, do you have a 29.5 sized Nike Jordans?"

Aomine walked beside me.

The salesperson smiled, "Ah, yes! We just restocked on them yesterday! Let me get them for you!"

"Thank you so much!" I bowed and gave the man a smile.

After that, Aomine and I sat together on a shoe-changing bench again and waited.

"Finally, I hope our search is over. You should buy a couple of pairs if it's the right size," I told the boy beside me.

He nodded, "Yeah."

Once the salesperson came back with the shoes, Aomine tried them on.

"Whoa! They look great!" I smiled and inspected the shoes, "The colour really matches you!"

Aomine looked at the shoes, "Yeah, these are good. Let's grab three pairs."

I nodded and was about to walk back over to the salesperson when Aomine grabbed my hand, "Stay with me. I don't like the way that guy was looking at you."

I stared at the boy for a while before laughing, "You make him sound like a pervert! He's just a salesperson!"

"He looks like a huge pervert!"

"Says the pervert himself!" I countered with a glare before walking back over to the salesperson.

"Um, sir? Can you bring out two more pairs of those shoes with the same size?" I asked with a bright smile.

He looked at me and smiled as well, "Y-Yeah! Of course. Hey...it's almost lunch time...say, do you want to go and grab a burger after this..."

The man grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards him while looking around.

I widened my eyes and tried to pull away, "Um...no, I'm here with a fri—"

At that moment, I was harshly yanked back into somebody's chest. I gasped as I turned around and saw Aomine, embracing me around the waist protectively and glaring at the salesperson.

"Don't touch her, she's _my_ girlfriend," the ace of Touou's basketball team hissed, "Now do your job and grab the shoes, fatty."

The man's eyes widened as he ran to the storage room.

After he left, Aomine kept his grip on me, "Goddammit, Miho! Be more careful, geez. I told you he was a pervert!"

I blushed and struggled in Aomine's hold, "Y-Yeah...I'm sorry. Can you let me go now?"

Aomine glared for a moment before gripping me tighter and letting out a sigh, "If it was _him_, would you let him hold you like this...?"

"D-Dai-chan...Shin-chan's my boyfriend so of course..." I started before he suddenly turned me around.

What happened next was completely shocking. I couldn't move an inch as he grabbed my hips tightly and pressed his lips against mine roughly.

"Ah...st—," I gasped for a second before he continued kissing me, forcefully pressing his wet tongue into my mouth.

One of his hands moved to grasp my blue locks, tugging on them gently, pulling the back of my head down.

I shut my eyes and felt the red seeping onto my cheeks. My knees were buckling from beneath me—the only thing supporting my weight was Aomine's hand that firmly clutched my hip.

This was ridiculous. Here we were, _intimately kissing_, in a shoe store, when I had a _boyfriend_. Suddenly aware of how completely absurd the whole situation was, I raised my hands and roughly pushed his shoulders.

He seemed to snap out of his trance as he broke the kiss, a small strand of saliva trailing down from our mouths.

"Aomine-kun!" I caught up on my breath before glaring at the boy with a blush on my face—wiping the saliva away and struggling and against his hold.

There was a pause before Aomine released me, turned around nonchalantly with a dark expression, and spoke up.

"I'm sorry. He's got the shoes so lets go," with that, Aomine grabbed the shoes from the salesperson, checked the sizes and left for the cashier. Thus, he left me standing there whilst completely and utterly confused and shocked.

.-.-.-.

"Crap, I'm late..." I gasped as I ran quickly over to the Winter Cup stadium.

Aomine and I had awkwardly separated after the shoe store; he had claimed that he had something important to do. I didn't even get lunch...

Either way, I decided to watch the Winter Cup games today with the rest of the Seirin team since my shopping spree was cancelled.

I managed to find my way to the meeting spot and spotted the familiar members of the Seirin basketball team.

"R-Ri-chan! I think I made it!" I slumped down on the benches beside the team.

She turned to me and gave a large smile, "Miho-chan! You made it! The afternoon matches were just going to start!"

"Yo, Miho," Kagami waved slightly.

The other teams members followed suit in greeting me.

I smiled and waved back, pushing the thoughts of Aomine away from my mind for a while. After all, I was with my team. I noticed that Alex was also here. She flashed me a happy smile as well.

Alex spoke up, "To be honest, I was looking down on Japan quite a bit, but I better apologize, geez! It's a bit lacking in terms of size and power, but their speed and strategy are quite something! Surviving through such a high-level tournament. You guys are pretty good! And...there's quite a talent in each individual players too. Especially that number seven that just came on to court B."

Hearing Alex, I looked back onto the court. Kobayashi Keisuke...he's a 188cm tall point guard, which is pretty rare in Japan. He can both pass and shoot—an all rounder. A notable player even in the national level. So that's Shin-chan opponent today, huh.

"He's go quite some skills. Should do pretty well," Alex grinned as she watched.

I tapped my fingers against my chin as I observed the man, "Hm...will he be able to do something against Shin-chan...?"

Just as I muttered that, the devil himself appeared on the court. My eyes immediately flashed to him and I felt a pang of guilt in my heart for the events earlier today.

Pushing those thoughts away, I noticed Alex widening her eyes as Midorima walked onto the court.

My lips lifted north into a small smile. Oh this match was going to be amazing.

"Woah, Nanase seems super happy," I heard Koga say.

"She rarely gets to watch Midorima-kun play a full match live anymore. She should be pretty excited," Kuroko replied.

I turned around with a bright smile on my face, "Yeah! I can't wait!"

Ever since I came back from the States, all I have been doing was watching the matches from a challenger's point of view—never an audience's point of view. This was refreshing once in a while.

Watching him play, I could really tell how much he has improved from our last match against him. His shots were so beautiful and flawless...

.-.-.-.

In the end, the match ended with the score 109 to 71, Shutoku's win.

I was walking out of the stadium with Kuroko when he suddenly paused and pulled me aside.

"Hm? Te-chan? What's wrong?" I asked, puzzled.

He was silent before taking out his phone, "Can you please accompany me somewhere? I'm meeting someone."

I had originally planned to talk to Midorima after this, and also tell him and apologize about what happened earlier today. However, seeing the small boy's determined expression, I let out a small smile. Shin-chan could wait.

"Sure! Let's go!"

.-.-.-.

Oh.

My face paled when I saw the person that Kuroko had wanted to meet.

Just my luck—I should've known it would be Aomine.

"How are you?" Kuroko asked calmly, a stern expression on his face.

The taller boy scowled, "'How are you' my ass. Why did you call me out all of a sudden, Tetsu! And why the hell is _she_ with you?"

Kuroko raised an eyebrow, "Hm? Weren't you two shopping earlier today? Miho-chan when to watch Midorima-kun's match after that."

I suddenly found my boots very interesting after the question was raised.

Oh god... The tension in the air started growing when neither Aomine nor I answered the question. We both knew what happened.

Kuroko perhaps sensed the discomfort before changing the topic, "...I'm going to say this straight out. Aomine-kun, Miho-chan, please teach me how to shoot."

This perked the taller boy's interest.

He raised his eyebrow in confusion, "_What_?"

* * *

A/N: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or any of the characters.

Oh wow, so much for posting this during Thanksgiving weekend... Oh well, we just had our final exams and we get a three day weekend. Thus, I'm just heavily procrastinating on my French and Coordinate Geometry homework and writing fan fiction... Haha...

I've been watching season II of KnB and I just can't wait for the Shutoku vs Seirin match! *Squee* I'm going to fangirl so hard over Shin, I'm not even kidding. Hahaha.

I'm so sorry if the Aomine and Miho scene offended any of you. But it's not like they haven't kissed before...and it's not like Miho has no feelings for him... Okay, maybe not as a lover, but he's still important to her... Argh, but I honestly feel so bad for the guy! Like in Heart right now, that happens and basically the same thing happens here... Don't worry! I promise I won't stretch this on any longer! Je promets! I was going to resolve the conflict in this chapter, but it's like 12 here, and I really need to sleep. Literally only got an average of 6 hours of sleep ever since school started... D:

Okay, hahaha. Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review, review, review! I really love your reviews, and that's honestly why I'm still writing this with all the school going on. So, please review if you want more chapters! I'm not demanding or anything, its just that it's actually so hard to fit in time for my actual life outside of school now. Wahh, I think I'm going to die before university. Hahaha. But seriously, I'm so sorry for always updating late when you guys give such fantastic reviews.

But keep reviewing! I promise I'll try to keep up my updates!

Okay! Je vous aime tous!~

~Yuvi


End file.
